Abstract Background Patients with lung cancer are considered a vulnerable patient group. Often with a high symptom burden, complex needs, and are frequently transferred between hospital and home, which can demand considerable resources from healthcare professionals. Our study aims to explore how general practitioners and registered nurses working in home care experience hospital-to-home transitions of patients with lung cancer. Methods Descriptive qualitative design. Five GPs and 16 RNs working in home care services in three Norwegian municipalities were included, distributed across three focus group interviews, two dyadic interviews, and one in-depth interview. Data was analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Results Registered nurses and general practitioners faced challenges collaborating with specialised healthcare providers during hospital-to-home transitions, negatively affecting patients’ home healthcare. They reported that healthcare professionals in specialised care lacked an understanding of primary healthcare services, resulting in a deficiency of health information for continued care at home. Registered nurses highlighted an approach to at-home care that differs from specialised healthcare, prioritising quality of life and patient preferences over the diagnosis itself. Additionally, delayed information flow deprived general practitioners and registered nurses of crucial information. When a patient’s condition deteriorated, the lack of medical support from general practitioners often caused registered nurses to hospitalise patients for appropriate medical treatment. Conclusion The findings reveals that primary and specialised care professionals operate within different ‘logics of care’, leading them to prioritise differently and hindering cooperation in hospital-to-home transitions. Enhancing communication and collaboration between specialised and primary care is essential for high-quality hospital-to-home transitions of patients with lung cancer. Establishing more frequent face-to-face meetings and interdisciplinary team discussions can facilitate greater mutual understanding of patients’ needs among healthcare professionals in primary and specialised care.
Nilsen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.