Obstacles to and opportunities for care collaboration through the utilization of an effective preventive care process for frail older adults: A study protocol for a mixed methods study design.

Abstract

Background: The gap between the groups in society experiencing good health and those not is increasing. Frail older adults are among the most vulnerable groups. Malnutrition, poor oral health, pressure ulcers and falls are common problems increasing the risk of hospitalization or admission to residential care facilities. An effective preventive care process is therefore needed to prevent such adverse events. Interprofessional care collaboration between the teams in residential care facilities, home help care, primary care, and hospital care is described as being prerequisite for an effective, safe, and effective preventive care process. However, the way in which thisprocess is carried out across Sweden’s municipalities varies. There is also a need to understand how managers in elderly care, interprofessional teams, and older adults themselves perceive how well the process of care collaboration functions. The protocol outlined here describes the design of a study aimed at exploring factors that constitute obstacles to and opportunities for care collaboration within and between different care providers through the utilization of an effective preventive care process for frail older adults in Sweden, based on the quality register Senior alert. Method: A convergent mixed methods study design will be used combining quantitative (quality registers and open data) and qualitative data (practice-based semi structural interviews and focus group interviews with key informants at various organisational levels in elderly care). The results will provide the foundation for the creation of a model for an effective preventive care process for frail older adults, including improved care collaboration, which will be tested in a pilot study. Discussion: Frail older adults face a high risk of negative events and hospitalization, which in turn leads to increased healthcare costs and decreased quality of life. There is a knowledge gap with regard to the obstacles to and opportunities for an effective preventive care process regarding these negative events. To increase patient safety and provide equitable care for frail older adults, good collaboration between care providers and the use of quality registers might be of importance.