Differences in Transitional Care Provided to Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White Older Adults

Abstract

Background: Transitional care, assisting patients to move safely through multiple health care settings, may be insufficient for older Hispanic patients.

Purpose: Describe home health care services referral rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients and factors that influence case managers' (CMs') discharge planning processes.

Design: Organized by the Ethno-Cultural Gerontological Nursing Model, health records were reviewed ( n = 33,597 cases) and supplemented with qualitative description ( n = 8 CMs).

Findings: Controlling for gender, insurance type, age, and hospital length of stay, NHW older adults received more home health care services referrals (odds ratio = 1.23). Insurance coverage was the most frequent determinant of CMs' post-hospital care choices, rather than patients' being Hispanic. NHW older adults were more likely to have insurance than Hispanic older adults.

Implications: Insurance coverage being CMs' primary consideration in determining patients' dispositions is a form of systems-level discrimination for Hispanic vulnerable groups, which combined with other hospital-level constraints, should be addressed with policy-level interventions.

Keywords: Mexican American; gerontology; health disparities; mixed-methods; think-aloud.