What matters to people aged 80 and over regarding ambulatory care? A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies

The growing percentage of the population aged 80 and over is challenging for healthcare systems, as frailty and other complex health issues are common in this age group. In order to provide patient-centered ambulatory healthcare, their preferences and expectations need to be explored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically search for and synthesize qualitative evidence on how people aged 80 and over believe ambulatory healthcare (medical and nursing care) should be delivered to them. Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection and Google Scholar were searched for full research reports of qualitative studies focusing on the preferences, wishes, needs, expectations and experiences of people aged 80 and over regarding ambulatory medical and nursing care. The results were screened by two independent reviewers using a two-step approach. The included studies were meta-synthesized using Thomas and Harden’s ‘thematic synthesis’ approach in order to gain a new, second-order interpretation of the findings of the primary studies. In the intermediate synthesis step, 14 aspects of healthcare structures and care relationships were identified as relevant. Based on these, three underlying wishes were found: feeling safe, feeling like a meaningful human being, and maintaining control and independence. The results of this review are in line with other research, such as reviews focusing on the preferences of the younger age group (65–80). However, the importance of aspects of care relationships as an integral part of favorable ambulatory healthcare and the wish to be strengthened as a meaningful human being are emphasized more strongly. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10433-021-00633-7.