title: Communicating during care transitions for older hip fracture patients: family caregiver and health care provider's perspectives.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Older hip fracture patients frequently require care across a variety of settings, from multiple individuals, including their family caregivers. We explored issues related to information sharing during transitional care for older hip fracture patients through the perspectives of both health care providers and family caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with family caregivers (n = 9) and health care providers (n = 26) of six hip fracture patients to gather perspectives on information sharing at each care transition, beginning with post-surgical discharge from acute care. Data were analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis methods using NVivo8 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both family caregivers and health care providers recognise that family caregivers' involvement has important benefits for patients, but this involvement is frequently limited by poor information sharing. Barriers include limited staff time, patient privacy regulations and lack of a clear structure to guide information sharing. Receiving, not offering, information was the focus of information sharing by both family caregivers and health care providers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific barriers that lead to poor information sharing between family caregivers and health care providers have been identified in this study. Possible interventions to improve information sharing include encouraging communication with family caregivers as standard care practice, educational strategies and more effective use of health information systems and technologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Glenny
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stolee
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sheiban
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaglal
keywords: care transitions; caregivers; communication; hip fracture