Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42885773›Full record

ArticleFamily practice2026

Entry into long-term care disrupts primary care continuity-but only at entry: a national cohort study of transitional and post-entry continuity in facility- and home-based care in Australia.

Johannes Schwabe, Brian W Pulling, Gillian E Caughey, Maria Crotty, Helena Williams, Andrew Kellie, Gillian Harvey, David Roder, Krystal-Lee Nixon, Janet K Sluggett and 7 more

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Article in Family practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Johannes SchwabeRegistry of Senior Australians Research Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0916-3098
Brian W PullingRegistry of Senior Australians Research Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Gillian E CaugheyRegistry of Senior Australians Research Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1192-4121
Maria CrottyCollege of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.
Helena WilliamsRegistry of Senior Australians Research Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Andrew KellieEast Adelaide Healthcare, Newton, South Australia 5074, Australia.
Gillian HarveyCaring Futures Institute, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.
David RoderUniSA Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Krystal-Lee NixonSA Health Dental Service, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Janet K SluggettRegistry of Senior Australians Research Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Monica CationsCollege of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-9262-0463
Tiffany K GillAdelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Jyoti KhadkaCaring Futures Institute, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.
Megan CorlisAustralian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (SA Branch), Ridleyton, South Australia 5008, Australia.
Carolyn DawkinsECH Inc, Parkside, South Australia 5063, Australia.
Marilyn von ThienRegistry of Senior Australians Research Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Maria C InacioRegistry of Senior Australians Research Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.

Funding

MRFF MRFF1200056National Health and Medical Research Council GNT119378National Health and Medical Research Council NHMRCNHMRC GNT2016277NHMRC GNT2026400The Hospital Research Foundation MCF-27-2019
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundContinuity of primary care is central to older adults' health and wellbeing, but entry into long-term care can disrupt established care relationships.

objectivesThis study aimed to characterize how continuity of care evolves across the transition into long-term care and the post-entry period, comparing facility-based and home-based care, with analyses stratified by metropolitan and non-metropolitan location.

methodsA national cohort study of Australians aged ≥65 who entered long-term care in 2019 and had at least three primary care visits within 6 months was conducted. Transitional continuity was defined by whether individuals continued seeing their pre-entry provider. Post-entry continuity was measured using the Usual Provider Index. Cohort differences were examined using regression models.

resultsAmong 69 081 entrants (home-based = 27 915; facility-based = 41 166), 72% of those entering facilities changed to a new provider, compared with 10% in home-based long-term care, p < .001. In facility-based long-term care, switching to a new provider was more common in metropolitan areas than in non-metropolitan areas. Post-entry continuity was high in both settings, with 78%-80% of visits delivered by a usual provider.

conclusionsEntry into facility-based long-term care substantially disrupts established primary care relationships, but continuity is rapidly re-established after entry. The greater disruption observed in metropolitan areas suggests that factors beyond relocation, such as primary care availability and delivery models, shape transitional continuity. These findings identify long-term care entry as a key intervention point while indicating that post-entry care models effectively consolidate continuity.

Indexed as

Continuity of Patient CareHome Care ServicesLong-Term CarePrimary Health CareAccess to Primary CareAgedAged, 80 and overAustraliaCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMalecontinuity of patient caregeneral practicehealth services for the agedlong-term carenursing homesprimary health care

Identifiers

PMID42885773
PMCPMC13673271

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.