Developing Programs to Support Family Caregivers During Patient Hospital Stays and Care Transitions

Course overview

Family caregivers serve an essential function in care transitions by managing patient needs, offloading work from hospital clinical teams, reducing capacity constraints on health care systems and maintaining complex care plans. Yet, they are often unprepared for these responsibilities. This session describes two caregiver support programs and reviews aspects such as the rationale and development of a model program replicated in over 20 U.S. hospitals, and a pilot program that provides onsite support. Shared findings demonstrate the impact on caregiver outcomes (perceptions of quality of care, preparedness for discharge), staff outcomes (burnout, ability to provide adequate care to families), patient outcomes (30- and 90-day readmission rates) and experience outcomes (escalation of complaints; top-box scores on transitions in care).