Abandonment at the Transition from Hospital to Home: Family Caregivers' Experiences

People with concurrent chronic conditions face different situations that lead to frequent transferring between the hospital and home. Despite the use of different strategies for improving transitional care, these transferring is associated with different challenges. This article aims to explore family caregivers' experiences of transitional care in diabetes with concurrent chronic conditions.

This descriptive explorative study was done at university hospitals in two big cities (Isfahan and Tehran) of Iran. The data collection was conducted from November 2018 to February 2020 using deep, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews which are focused on family caregivers' experiences of transitional care. The researchers continued the sampling until the data saturation. Finally, 15 family caregivers were selected through purposive sampling. Data collection and data analysis were performed concurrently. Data were analyzed through the conventional content analysis method.

Two main themes were identified: unsafe transition (unplanned discharge, inappropriate communication, lack of patient center care, and unavailable healthcare team) and erosive effort (financial burden, psychological stress, physical exhaustion, and lack of supportive sources).

The findings point to the importance of designing a discharge plan and preparing family caregivers before being discharged by healthcare providers. It appears to be essential for health managers and policymakers to pay attention to safe transitional care planning. The establishment of transitional care centers will help to ensure continuity of care. Future research focusing on the design and implementation of an appropriate transitional care model is recommended.