ArticleBMC health services research2021
What are the risk factors for avoidable transitions in the last year of life? A qualitative exploration of professionals' perspectives for improving care in Germany.
Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Assessment tools addressing avoidable care transitions in older adults: a systematic literature review.European geriatric medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Self-assessed palliative care competence of healthcare professionals in a Finnish university hospital: A mixed methods study.Palliative care and social practice · 2026Article
- Hospital-to-hospice transfers in Germany: analyzing the impact of age and gender at the care transition interface.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Organizational and financial challenges in care transitions: a qualitative study of long-term care systems in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- From MINI to Meaningful Change-A German Pilot Study to Improve Patient Outcomes in End-of-Life Care.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Validation of a questionnaire to assess complexity of palliative care needs in primary care in Malaga, Spain: a study protocol.BMJ open · 2025Article
- End-of-Life Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Decreased Hospitalization of Nursing Home Residents at the End of Life.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Palliative care patients in the emergency medical service: a retrospective cohort study from Finland.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Avoidable Care Transitions: A Consensus-Based Definition Using a Delphi Technique.Innovation in aging · 2023Article
- Quality of care in the last year of life: adaptation and validation of the German "Views of Informal Carers' Evaluation of Services - Last Year of Life - Cologne".BMC health services research · 2022Article
- The last year of life for patients dying from cancer vs. non-cancer causes: a retrospective cross-sectional survey of bereaved relatives.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLittle is known about the nature of patients' transitions between healthcare settings in the last year of life (LYOL) in Germany. Patients often experience transitions between different healthcare settings, such as hospitals and long-term facilities including nursing homes and hospices. The perspective of healthcare professionals can therefore provide information on transitions in the LYOL that are avoidable from a medical perspective. This study aims to explore factors influencing avoidable transitions across healthcare settings in the LYOL and to disclose how these could be prevented.
methodsTwo focus groups (n = 11) and five individual interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals working in hospitals, hospices and nursing services from Cologne, Germany. They were asked to share their observations about avoidable transitions in the LYOL. The data collection continued until the point of information power was reached and were audio recorded and analysed using qualitative content analysis.
resultsFour factors for potentially avoidable transitions between care settings in the LYOL were identified: healthcare system, organization, healthcare professional, patient and relatives. According to the participants, the most relevant aspects that can aid in reducing unnecessary transitions include timely identification and communication of the LYOL; consideration of palliative care options; availability and accessibility of care services; and having a healthcare professional taking main responsibility for care planning.
conclusionsPreventing avoidable transitions by considering the multicomponent factors related to them not only immediately before death but also in the LYOL could help to provide more value-based care for patients and improving their quality of life.
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