Background Nursing home residents (NHR) are characterized by increasing frailty, multimorbidity and care dependency. These conditions result in frequent hospital transfers which can lead to negative effects on residents’ health status and are often avoidable. Reasons for emergency department (ED) visits or hospital admissions are complex. Prior research indicated factors influencing transfer decisions in view of nursing staff and general practitioners. The aim of this systematic review is to explore how family members experience and influence transfers from nursing home (NH) to hospital and how they are involved in the transfer decision. Methods A systematic literature search was performed in Medline via PubMed, Ebsco Scopus and CINAHL in May 2018. Studies were eligible if they contained information a) about the decision to transfer NHR to hospital and b) the experiences or influence of family members. The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) approach for qualitative systematic reviews. Screening, selection and quality appraisal of studies were performed independently by two reviewers. Synthesis of qualitative data was conducted through meta-aggregation. Results After screening of n = 2863 articles, in total n = 10 qualitative studies were included in the review. Results indicate that family members of NHR experience decision-making before hospitalization differently. They mainly reported NH-related, hospital-related, and family/resident-related factors influencing the transfer decision. The involvement of family members in the decision-making process varies - from no involvement to insistence on a decision in favor of their personal preferences. However, hospital transfer decisions and other treatment decisions (e.g. advance care planning (ACP) discussions) were commonly discussed with physicians and nurses. Conflicts between family members and healthcare providers mostly arose around the interpretation of resident’s best interest. In general, family members perceive discussions as challenging thus leading to emotional stress and discomfort. Conclusion The influence of NHR family members concerning hospital transfer decisions varies. Family members are an important link for communication between resident and medical staff and for communication between NH and hospital. Interventions aiming to reduce hospitalization rates have to take these findings into account. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12877-019-1170-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Background The medical care for nursing home residents is estimated to be partly inadequate in Germany. The aim of this study is to investigate the needs and utilization of general practitioners (GPs), medical specialists and allied health professionals. Methods A survey was sent to a nationwide random sample of 1069 nursing homes in Germany in January 2019. Nursing staff managers were asked about medical care. Regular nursing home visits by medical specialists and allied health professionals were defined as at least one contact per year to at least one nursing home resident. Results A total of 486 persons responded (45.5%). On average, nursing homes have contact to 8.6 (interquartile range: 4–10) different GPs. Almost 70% of respondents agreed that residents’ medical care should be coordinated by GPs. However, only 46.0% stated that specialist treatment should require GP referral. A high need was seen for care from physiotherapists (91.0%), neurologists or psychiatrists (89.3%), dentists (73.7%), and urologists (71.3%). Regarding the actual utilization of medical specialists and health professionals, most nursing homes have regular contact to physiotherapists (97.1%), psychiatrists or neurologists (90.4%), speech therapists (85.0%), and dentists (84.8%). Remarkable discrepancies between need and utilization were found for urologists and ophthalmologists. Conclusion There is large variance in the number of GPs per nursing home, and needs for medical specialists, especially urologists and ophthalmologists, seem unmet. Interprofessional collaboration between GPs, medical specialists and allied health professionals should be improved, and GPs should play a more coordinating role.

AimTo describe general practitioners' (GPs) perspectives on end‐of‐life care of nursing home residents.MethodsWe carried out a cross‐sectional study. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1121 GPs in the German federal states of Bremen and Lower Saxony in 2018. Data were compared between GPs with a qualification in palliative medicine and those without such qualifications, and multivariable logistic regression was performed.ResultsOverall, 375 questionnaires were returned (response rate 34%). The majority of GPs (71%) agreed that nursing home residents are treated too often in hospitals at the end of life, and more than half rated end‐of‐life care in nursing homes as “rather poor” (54%). For both questions, GPs with a qualification in palliative medicine showed higher agreements. In the multivariable analysis, a prior qualification in palliative medicine was also strongly associated with rating end‐of‐life care as “rather poor” (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.10–3.23). Respondents cited higher staffing ratios and better trained nursing staff as the most important measures to improve end‐of‐life care. Furthermore, it was estimated that just 37% of residents have an advance directive, with only one‐third including valid information on end‐of‐life hospitalizations.ConclusionsThis study showed that GPs tend to be critical regarding end‐of‐life care in nursing homes. To improve end‐of‐life care, better training in palliative care for nursing staff and GPs might be warranted. In addition, advance care planning can help to ensure that residents' wishes are respected. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 25–30.

Emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions are common among nursing home residents (NHRs). Little is known about the perspectives of emergency medical services (EMS) which are responsible for hospital transports. The aim of this study was to explore paramedics’ experiences with transfers from nursing homes (NHs) and their ideas for possible interventions that can reduce transfers. We conducted three focus groups following a semi-structured question guide. The data were analyzed by content analysis using the software MAXQDA. In total, 18 paramedics (mean age: 33 years, male n = 14) participated in the study. Paramedics are faced with complex issues when transporting NHRs to hospital. They mainly reported on structural reasons (e.g., understaffing or lacking availability of physicians), which led to the initiation of an emergency call. Handovers were perceived as poorly organized because required transfer information (e.g., medication lists, advance directives (ADs)) were incomplete or nursing staff was insufficiently prepared. Hospital transfers were considered as (potentially) avoidable in case of urinary catheter complications, exsiccosis/infections and falls. Legal uncertainties among all involved professional groups (nurses, physicians, dispatchers, and paramedics) seemed to be a relevant trigger for hospital transfers. In paramedics’ point of view, emergency standards in NHs, trainings for nursing staff, the improvement of working conditions and legal conditions can reduce potentially avoidable hospital transfers from NHs.