The most common post-acute care (PAC) services available to patients after hospital discharge include home care, skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, inpatient rehabilitation, and hospice. Patients who need PAC and receive services have better outcomes, however almost one-third of those offered services decline. Little research exists on PAC decision-making and why patients may decline services. This qualitative descriptive study explored the responses of thirty older adults to the question: “Can you, from the patient point of view, tell me why someone would not want post hospital care?” Three themes emerged. Participants may decline due to 1) previous negative experiences with PAC, or 2) a preference to be home. Some participants stated, “I'd be there” and would not decline services. Participants also discussed 3) why other patients might decline PAC which included patients’ past experiences, fear of the unknown, and preferences. Clinical implications include assessing patients’ knowledge and experience before providing recommendations.

The purpose of this study was to explore what hospitalized patients would like to know about post-acute care (PAC) services to ultimately help them make an informed decision when offered PAC options. Thirty hospitalized adults 55 and older in a Northeastern U.S. academic medical center participated in a qualitative descriptive study with conventional content analysis as the analytical technique. Three themes emerged. Participants were interested in (1) receiving practical information about the services, (2) understanding “how it relates to me”, and (3) having opportunities to understand PAC options. Study findings inform clinicians about what information to include when discussing PAC options with older adults. Improving the quality of discharge planning discussions may better inform patient decision-making and as a result increase the numbers of patients who accept a plan of care that supports their recovery, meets their needs, and results in improved quality of life and fewer readmissions.

Mobile devices (smartphones and tablet computers) have become widely prevalent due to rapid improvements in function and decreasing costs. As of 2014, 90 % of US adults have a mobile phone, with 58 % having a smartphone, 32 % owning some type of e-reader, and 42 % of US adults owning a tablet computer. Mobile devices are particularly well-suited for the study of common conditions such as sleep difficulties because of their ubiquity. Around 35 to 49 % of the US adult population have problems falling asleep or have daytime sleepiness. These sleep disorders are often under-recognized because of patient-physician communication difficulties, low rates of medical awareness resulting in underreporting of insomnia symptoms, and limited primary care physician (PCP) training in insomnia recognition. Mobile devices have the potential to bridge some of these gaps, but they can also lead to sleep difficulties when used inappropriately.