• Hsiu-Hsin Tsai, Yun-Fang Tsai, and Hsiu-Li Huang.
• School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan.
• J Clin Nurs. 2016 Mar 1; 25 (5-6): 610-8.

Aims And ObjectivesTo explore the experiences of nursing home nurses when they transfer residents from nursing homes to the emergency department in Taiwan.BackgroundThe transfer of residents between nursing homes and emergency departments challenges continuity of care. Understanding nursing home nurses' experiences during these transfers may help to improve residents' continuity of care. However, few empirical data are available on these nurses' transfer experiences worldwide, and none could be found in Asian countries.DesignQualitative descriptive study.MethodsData were collected from August 2012-June 2013 in audiotaped, individual, in-depth interviews with 25 nurses at five nursing homes in Taiwan. Interview transcripts were analysed by constant comparative analysis.ResultsAnalysis of interview transcripts revealed that the core theme of nursing home nurses' transfer experience was discontinuity in nursing home to emergency department transitions. This core theme comprised three themes: discontinuity in family involvement, discontinuity in medical resources and expectations, and discontinuity in nurses' professional role.ConclusionsNursing home nurses need a working environment that is better connected to residents' family members and more immediate and/or easier access to acute care for residents. Communication between nurses and residents' family could be improved by using text messages or social media by mobile phones, which are widely used in Taiwan and worldwide. To improve access to acute care, we suggest developing a real-time telehealth transfer system tailored to the medical culture and policies of each country. This system should facilitate communication among nursing home staff, family members and hospital staff.Relevance To Clinical PracticeOur findings on nurses' experiences during transfer of nursing home residents to the emergency department can be used to design more effective transfer policies such as telemedicine systems in Taiwan and other Asian countries or in those with large populations of Chinese immigrants.© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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