title: Quality and safety in the transitional care of the elderly (phase 2): the study protocol of a quasi-experimental intervention study for a cross-level educational programme.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transitional care and patient handover are important areas to ensure quality and safety in elderly healthcare services. Previous studies showed that healthcare professionals have little knowledge of the setting they are transferring patients to and a limited understanding of roles and functions; these constitute barriers to effective communication and shared care responsibilities across levels of care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main objective is to implement a cross-level education-based intervention programme with healthcare professionals aimed at (1) increasing professionals' awareness and competencies about quality and safety in the transitional care of the elderly; (2) creating a discussion platform for knowledge exchange and learning across levels and units of care and (3) improving patient safety culture, in particular, in transitional care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental control group study design with an intervention group and a control group; this includes a pretest, post-test and 1-year follow-up test assessment of patient safety culture. Qualitative data will be collected during the intervention programme and between the measurements. The study design will be beneficial for addressing the effects of the cross-level educational intervention programme on reports of patient safety culture and for addressing the feasibility of the intervention measures.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The study has been approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics in Norway, Ref. No. 2011/1978. The study is based on informed written consent; informants can withdraw from the study at any point in time. The results will be disseminated at research conferences, in peer review journals and through public presentations outside the scientific community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Storm
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Groene
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway Regional Centre for Age-related Medicine, SESAM, Stavanger University Hospital Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingelin
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Testad
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway Department of Intensive Care, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Dagrunn N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Dyrstad
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Randi N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Heskestad
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway Regional Centre for Age-related Medicine, SESAM, Stavanger University Hospital Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aase
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000592:standards*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D062209:Patient Handoff / Q000592:standards*; D036301:Qualitative Research
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