Care transitions among oncological patients: from hospital to community

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the transition of care from the perspective of cancer patients, in a Southern Brazil hospital, correlating perspectives with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. METHOD: Cross-sectional study using the Care Transitions Measure (CTM) with cancer patients undergoing clinical or surgical treatment following hospital discharge. Data collection was completed by telephone, between June and September 2019. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The average CTM score was 74.1, which was considered satisfactory. The CTM factors: understanding about medications (83.3) and preparation for self-management (77.7) were deemed satisfactory; while: secured preferences (69.4) and care plan (66.1) were unsatisfactory for an effective and safe care transition. No statistically significant difference was found between sociodemographic variables and the CTM. Among the clinical variables, primary cancer and the secured preferences factor showed a significant difference (p = 0.044). CONCLUSION: The transition from hospital care to the community was considered satisfactory in the overall assessment.