Enhancing Care for Long-Term Care Residents Approaching End-of-Life: A Mixed-Methods Study Assessing a Palliative Care Transfer Form

Background: Many barriers exist in providing quality end-of-life care in long-term care (LTC), including transitions of care between acute care and LTC. Transfer forms can be beneficial in ensuring resident’s end-of-life care needs are coordinated between different settings. The NYGH-LTC Transfer Form is a newly developed tool created to enhance care for residents transferred from acute care back to their LTC home for end-of-life. Study Aim: Assess the perceived ease of use, usefulness, and care-enhancing potential of the NYGH-LTC Transfer Form by interprofessional LTC staff. Methods: The study population included interprofessional staff members at 2 LTC homes in Toronto, Canada. Quantitative data was obtained through surveys and qualitative data was obtained through focus groups. Results: There were a total of 34 participants. 79.4% of participants agreed the form was easy to use and 82.4% agreed it would improve care. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that participants with greater than 20 years experience were less likely to agree that it would improve care (p = 0.01). Qualitative analysis generated 4 themes: 1) Strengths, 2) Areas of Improvement, 3) Information Sharing, and 4) Communication. Conclusions: The NYGH-LTC Transfer Form was overall well-evaluated. The form was seen as most useful for those with less experience or less confidence in palliative care. Communication was identified as a major barrier to successful transitions of care and increased bidirectional verbal communication is needed in addition to the form.