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. 2022 May-Jun:45:215-222.
doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.04.010. Epub 2022 May 13.

Written discharge communication of diagnostic and decision-making information for persons living with dementia during hospital to skilled nursing facility transitions

Laura Block  1 , Melissa Hovanes  1 , Andrea L Gilmore-Bykovskyi  2
Affiliations

Written discharge communication of diagnostic and decision-making information for persons living with dementia during hospital to skilled nursing facility transitions

Laura Block et al. Geriatr Nurs. 2022 May-Jun.

Abstract

Hospital-to-skilled nursing facility (SNF) transitions constitute a vulnerable point in care for people with dementia and often precede important care decisions. These decisions necessitate accurate diagnostic/decision-making information, including dementia diagnosis, power of attorney for health care (POAHC), and code status; however, inter-setting communication during hospital-to-SNF transitions is suboptimal. This retrospective cohort study examined omissions of diagnostic/decision-making information in written discharge communication during hospital-to-SNF transitions. Omission rates were 22% for dementia diagnosis, 82% and 88% for POAHC and POAHC activation respectively, and 70% for code status. Findings highlight the need to clarify and intervene upon causes of hospital-to-SNF communication gaps.

Keywords: Decision-making; Dementia; Discharge summary; Transitional care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Rates of Omission for Written Communication of Diagnostic and Decision-Making Information across Hospital Record and Discharge Summary
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