Claire Lafortune1, Jacobi Elliott1, Mary Y Egan2, Paul Stolee3. 1. School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. 2. School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Ave East, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada. 3. School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. stolee@uwaterloo.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: While standardized health assessments capture valuable information on patients' demographic and diagnostic characteristics, health conditions, and physical and mental functioning, they may not capture information of most relevance to individual patients and their families. Given that patients and their informal caregivers are the experts on that patient's unique context, it is important to ensure they are able to convey all relevant personal information to formal healthcare providers so that high-quality, patient-centered care may be delivered. This study aims to identify information that older patients and families consider important but that might not be included in standardized assessments. METHODS: Transcripts were analyzed from 29 interviews relating to eight patients with hip fractures from three sites (large urban, smaller urban, rural) in two provinces in Canada. These interviews were conducted as part of a larger ethnographic study. Each transcript was analyzed by two researchers using content analysis. Results were reviewed in two focus group interviews with older adults and family caregivers. Identified themes were compared with items from two standardized assessments used in healthcare settings. RESULTS: Three broad themes emerged from the qualitative analysis that were not covered in the standardized assessments: informal caregiver and family considerations, insider healthcare knowledge, and patients' healthcare attitudes and experiences. The importance of these themes was confirmed through focus group interviews. Focus group participants also emphasized the importance of conducting assessments in a patient-centered way and the importance of open-ended questions. CONCLUSIONS: A less structured interview approach may yield information that would otherwise be missed in standardized assessments. Combining both sources could yield better-informed healthcare planning and quality-improvement efforts.
BACKGROUND: While standardized health assessments capture valuable information on patients' demographic and diagnostic characteristics, health conditions, and physical and mental functioning, they may not capture information of most relevance to individual patients and their families. Given that patients and their informal caregivers are the experts on that patient's unique context, it is important to ensure they are able to convey all relevant personal information to formal healthcare providers so that high-quality, patient-centered care may be delivered. This study aims to identify information that older patients and families consider important but that might not be included in standardized assessments. METHODS: Transcripts were analyzed from 29 interviews relating to eight patients with hip fractures from three sites (large urban, smaller urban, rural) in two provinces in Canada. These interviews were conducted as part of a larger ethnographic study. Each transcript was analyzed by two researchers using content analysis. Results were reviewed in two focus group interviews with older adults and family caregivers. Identified themes were compared with items from two standardized assessments used in healthcare settings. RESULTS: Three broad themes emerged from the qualitative analysis that were not covered in the standardized assessments: informal caregiver and family considerations, insider healthcare knowledge, and patients' healthcare attitudes and experiences. The importance of these themes was confirmed through focus group interviews. Focus group participants also emphasized the importance of conducting assessments in a patient-centered way and the importance of open-ended questions. CONCLUSIONS: A less structured interview approach may yield information that would otherwise be missed in standardized assessments. Combining both sources could yield better-informed healthcare planning and quality-improvement efforts.
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