The intervention was built on 4 pillars, or conceptual domains,
that were derived from patient and caregiver feedback
obtained from earlier qualitative investigations regarding those
factors that would be most valuable to them during care transitions.1
The 4 pillars included (1) assistance with medication
self-management, (2) a patient-centered record owned and maintained
by the patient to facilitate cross-site information transfer,
(3) timely follow-up with primary or specialty care, and
(4) a list of “red flags” indicative of a worsening condition and
instructions on how to respond to them. The 4 pillars were operationalized
through the following 2 mechanisms designed to
encourage older patients and their caregivers to assert a more
active role during care transitions and to foster care coordination
and continuity across settings: (1) a personal health record
and (2) a series of visits and telephone calls with a transition
coach.
The personal health record is a patient-centered document
that consists of the core data elements needed to facilitate continuity
of the care plan across settings. The core data elements
included an active problem list, medications and allergies,
whether advance care directives had been completed, and a list
of red flags, or warning symptoms or signs, that corresponded
to the patient’s chronic illnesses. Finally, the personal health
record included space for the patient to record questions and
concerns in preparation for his or her next encounter. The
patient and caregiver were encouraged to maintain and to continually
update the personal health record and to share this
document with practitioners across health care settings.
The primary roles of the transition coach were to encourage
the patient and caregiver to assert a more active role during
care transitions, to provide continuity across settings,
and to ensure that the patient’s needs were being met irrespective
of the care setting. Transition coaches were
advanced practice nurses; however, rather than functioning
as another care provider, the transition coaches facilitated
the patient’s and the caregiver’s roles in self-care. Therefore,
key attributes of transition coaches included competence in
medication review and reconciliation, experience in helping
patients communicate their needs to different health care
professionals, and the ability to shift from doing things for
the patient to encouraging him or her to do as much as possible
independently.