Detailed Analysis and Road Map Proposal for Care Transition Records and Their Transmission Process: Mixed Methods...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health Transformation
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Digitalization in German healthcare offers significant potential but faces hurdles like data protection, fragmented infrastructure, and resistance to change.
• Current paper-based workflows for patient data transmission are inefficient, exacerbating challenges posed by nursing shortages and increased care demands.
• Care institutions struggle with outdated processes, highlighting the need for efficient digital tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Germany's care transition record (CTR) and its transmission process within the context of transition management.
• To identify challenges associated with current manual CTR transfers.
• To propose improvements for a seamless digital CTR solution.

Main Methods:

• Mixed methods approach including web-based questionnaires for nursing professionals (N=59).
• Field observations (N=11) in care facilities and hospitals to assess administrative burden.
• Business process modeling, semantic and frequency analysis of CTR entries, and user story mapping.

Main Results:

• Manual CTR transfers cause significant patient care delays; 70% of respondents favored digital transmission for efficiency.
• High administrative burden observed: average 34.67 minutes/CTR in hospitals and 44.6 minutes in care facilities.
• Analysis revealed complexity and lack of standardization in current CTRs, necessitating a new standard and a proposed roadmap with a 'CTR transformer' and 'CIO-CTR viewer/editor'.

Conclusions:

• A future solution must simplify CTR transmission by minimizing manual input, standardizing the record, and ensuring secure digital transfer.
• Standardization and secure digital transfer of CTRs can enhance the overall care process and patient experience.
• Proposed solutions aim to support healthcare staff during the transition to nationwide digital regulations, despite uncertain implementation timelines.