Transitional Care in Patients with Heart Failure: A Concept Analysis Using Rogers’ Evolutionary Approach

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to clarify the concept of transitional care in patients with heart failure. BACKGROUND: Transitional care is increasingly being applied in patients with heart failure, but the concept of transitional care in heart failure patients is not uniform and confused with other definitions, which limits further research and practice on transitional care for these patients. DESIGN: Rodgers’ evolutionary concept analysis. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the PUBMED, EMBASE, EBSCO, Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM), CNKI, and WANFANG databases (up to January 26, 2023). We used Rodgers’ evolutionary concept analysis method to identify related concepts, attributes, antecedents, and consequences of transitional care in patients with heart failure. RESULTS: A total of 33 articles were included. The following attributes belonging to transitional care in patients with heart failure were extracted from the literature: self-care, multidisciplinary collaboration, and information transmission. The antecedents were patients’ health status, the health literacy of patients and caregivers, the role functions of the main implementer and social and medical resources. Consequences were separated into two categories: patient-centered health outcomes (all-cause mortality, health-related quality of life, discharge preparedness, self-care behaviors, satisfaction of patients) and healthcare utilization outcomes (hospital readmission, length of hospital stay, emergency department visits). CONCLUSION: This study found that transitional care in heart failure patients is a systemic care process during a vulnerable period that improves patient self-management and coordination between hospital resources and social support systems for continuous management to promote smooth patient transitions between different locations. This concept analysis will inform healthcare providers in designing evidence-based interventions and quality improvement strategies to ensure that transition processes lead to desired outcomes. In addition, this study will also be helpful for developing specific assessment tools to identify patients with HF who need transitional care.