Impact of Hospital Context on Transitioning Patients From Hospital to Skilled Nursing Facility: A Grounded Theory Study.

Background: Twenty-five percentage of patients who are transferred from hospital settings to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are rehospitalized within 30 days. One significant factor in poorly executed transitions is the discharge process used by hospital providers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine how health care providers in hospitals transition care from hospital to SNF, what actions they took based on their understanding of transitioning care, and what conditions influence provider behavior.

Design: Qualitative study using grounded dimensional analysis.

Participants: Purposive sample of 64 hospital providers (15 physicians, 31 registered nurses, 8 health unit coordinators, 6 case managers, 4 hospital administrators) from 3 hospitals in Wisconsin.

Approach: Open, axial, and selective coding and constant comparative analysis was used to identify variability and complexity across transitional care practices and model construction to explain transitions from hospital to SNF.

Key Results: Participants described their health care systems as being Integrated or Fragmented. The goal of transition in Integrated Systems was to create a patient-centered approach by soliciting feedback from other disciplines, being accountable for care provided, and bridging care after discharge. In contrast, the goal in Fragmented Systems was to move patients out quickly, resulting in providers working within silos with little thought as to whether or not the next setting could provide for patient care needs. In Fragmented Systems, providers achieved their goal by rushing to complete the discharge plan, ending care at discharge, and limiting access to information postdischarge.

Conclusions: Whether a hospital system is Integrated or Fragmented impacts the transitional care process. Future research should address system level contextual factors when designing interventions to improve transitional care.