title: The importance of older patients' experiences with care delivery for their quality of life after hospitalization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Older patients' experiences with care delivery may be important for their quality of life over time. Evidence is however lacking. Therefore, this study aims to identify the longitudinal relationship between older patients' experiences with hospital care, perceived quality of integrated care and quality of life after hospitalization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our longitudinal research was based on a pilot study of older people who had recently been admitted to a hospital. In the pilot study, all patients (≥ 65 years of age) who were admitted to the Vlietland hospital between June and October 2010 were asked to participate, which led to the inclusion of 500 older patients at baseline. A total of 291 patients (58% response rate) were interviewed 3 months after admission. Measures included quality of life, patients' perceptions of quality of integrated care delivery and patients' experiences with hospital care. We used descriptive statistics, correlations, and multilevel analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Being married (p ≤ 0.05), patients' experiences with hospital care, perceived quality of integrated care delivery (both p ≤ 0.01), and quality of life within 48 h of hospital admission (p ≤ 0.001) significantly correlated with quality of life 3 months after hospital admission. After controlling for background characteristics, multilevel analysis indicated a longitudinal relationship between patients' experiences with hospital care (p ≤ 0.05), perceived quality of integrated care delivery (p ≤ 0.01) and patients' quality of life 3 months after hospitalization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found a longitudinal relationship between patients' perceived quality of integrated care delivery, experiences with hospital care and quality of life of older patients after hospitalization. These results underscore the importance of enhancing older patients' experiences with care delivery.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy & Management (iBMG), Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. hartgerink@bmg.eur.nl.
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hartgerink
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy & Management (iBMG), Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. cramm@bmg.eur.nl.
authors.forename: Jane M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cramm
authors.affiliation: Argos Zorggroep, Schiedam, The Netherlands. t.bakker@argoszorggroep.nl.
authors.forename: Ton J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. j.mackenbach@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Johan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mackenbach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy & Management (iBMG), Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. nieboer@bmg.eur.nl.
authors.forename: Anna P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Nieboer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires