Transition experiences of patients and families upon discharge from intensive care: a scoping review.
Paula Buchs Zucatti, Clediane Rita Portalupi da Trindade, Rosana Evangelista-Poderoso and 2 others
PMID 41379190WHAT IT FOUND
Adult patients and families described ICU-to-inpatient transfer as stressful and poorly explained.
Across 30 studies, gaps in information and communication appeared at assessment, planning, execution and follow-up. Nurses should expect unmet needs and give clear information.
Key findings
01The final mapped sample was 30 studies of adult patients and family members experiencing ICU-to-inpatient transfer.
02Most included studies were qualitative primary research (n = 21), with patients (n = 13), patient-family dyads (n = 7), or family members (n = 6) as the population.
03Data collection ranged from one to seven days after transfer to months or years after hospital discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Language restrictions and inaccessibility of the full text of four records may have made the sample incomplete and less representative. Data extraction was systematic but may not have been entirely accurate and exhaustive. More than half of the studies were conducted in Europe, so the mapped evidence may not reflect other contexts. The included studies varied widely in when data were collected, from one to seven days after transfer to months or years after discharge. The review maps experiences and does not test whether transition strategies improve patient outcomes.
Declared interests
Supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Grant # 406463/2023-9, Brazil.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that communication or education strategies improve patient outcomes. The review mapped patients' and families' reported experiences and did not test interventions.