Unplanned hospital transfers from nursing homes: who is involved in the transfer decision? Results from the HOMERN study

BACKGROUND: Emergency department visits and hospital admissions are common among nursing home residents (NHRs) and seem to be higher in Germany than in other countries. Yet, research on characteristics of transfers and involved persons in the transfer decision is scarce. AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of hospital transfers from nursing homes (NHs) focused on contacts to physicians, family members and legal guardians prior to a transfer. METHODS: We conducted a multi-center study in 14 NHs in the regions Bremen and Lower Saxony (Northwestern Germany) between March 2018 and July 2019. Hospital transfers were documented for 12 months by nursing staff using a standardized questionnaire. Data were derived from care records and perspectives of nursing staff and were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: Among 802 included NHRs, n = 535 unplanned hospital transfers occurred of which 63.1% resulted in an admission. Main reasons were deterioration of health status (e.g. fever, infections, dyspnea and exsiccosis) (35.1%) and falls/accidents/injuries (33.5%). Within 48 h prior to transfer, contact to at least one general practitioner (GP)/specialist/out-of-hour-care physician was 46.2% and varied between the NHs (range: 32.3–83.3%). GPs were involved in only 34.8% of transfer decisions. Relatives and legal guardians were more often informed about transfer (62.3% and 66.8%) than involved in the decision (21.8% and 15.1%). DISCUSSION: Contacts to physicians and involvement of the GP were low prior to unplanned transfers. The ranges between the NHs may be explained by organizational differences. CONCLUSION: Improvements in communication between nursing staff, physicians and others are required to reduce potentially avoidable transfers. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s40520-020-01751-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.