Abstract
Introduction
Fall-related injuries such as fractures are on the rise as the older adult population grows in New Brunswick, Canada. These injuries can lead to hospitalization and transitions in care that are complicated for patients and families. The objective was to investigate the impact of patient navigators (PNs) working alongside the healthcare team on patient and family experiences, as compared to the usual standard of care (SOC), for adults aged 65 and older admitted with a fracture to an Orthopedic Unit at one hospital in New Brunswick.
Methods
A concurrent embedded mixed methods design, in which the quantitative randomized control trial had an embedded qualitative component. The results for the family caregiver qualitative component, which used an interpretive description approach, are presented.
Results
Semi-structured interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed for 15 family caregivers (8 PN group, 7 SOC group). The SOC caregivers, six women and one man, had a mean age of 64.6 years (SD=6.9 years). The mean age of the 8 women in the PN group was 61.3 years (SD=10.1). All participants in both SOC and PN groups self reported their ethnicity as white. Thematic analysis found that SOC group caregivers discussed patients relying on support from family and friends throughout their care journey, whereas caregivers in the PN group predominantly discussed finding PNs supportive and helpful. Both groups discussed the ongoing stress that they felt throughout the care journey of the patient for which they cared for; however, for the PN group this topic was less prevalent.
Conclusions
This study provides an understanding of the positive impacts a patient navigator can have on older adult inpatient care and transitions in care. Patient Navigators were shown to be helpful to families, particularly those of patients with higher care needs and fewer family supports.