Best Practices Recommendations for Microtransitions in Care-An Emerging Classification of Care Transitions: A...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Microtransitions, brief care changes in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC), occur frequently and pose risks similar to major transitions.
• Limited evidence exists for coordinating safe microtransitions, necessitating best practice development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish evidence-based recommendations for PALTC staff facilitating microtransitions.
• To evaluate the feasibility and clinical benefit of these recommendations.

Main Methods:

• A modified Delphi study involving 39 expert panelists.
• Statements on safely facilitating room changes, recreational trips, and medical appointments were developed and refined over three rounds.
• Consensus was defined as ≥80% agreement, focusing on feasibility and clinical benefit.

Main Results:

• 51 of 70 (72.9%) finalized statements achieved consensus for feasibility and/or clinical benefit.
• 80.4% reached consensus for feasibility, and 96.1% for clinical benefit.
• 39 statements (76.5%) achieved consensus for both feasibility and clinical benefit.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first set of recommendations for PALTC staff on facilitating microtransitions.
• Implementing these recommendations can mitigate risks of adverse events, including falls and transfers to emergency departments.
• The guidelines support patient-centered processes for safe microtransition coordination.