Potential for replacing hospitalization in geriatric patients through general practitioner (GP)-led hospital at home care: a study protocol of an explorative study from perspectives of patients, relatives, and GPs

Aim Hospital at Home (HaH), an intensified home care program comparable to a hospital stay, is widely implemented internationally. However, in Germany, this model of care is not yet applied on a broad scale. The aim of this study is to examine the potential of HaH from the perspectives of patients, family members/caregivers, and general practitioners (GPs). Subject and methods This study combines a literature review on (GP-led) HaH models for geriatric patients, qualitative interviews with geriatric patients, their family members/caregivers (10–12 dyadic interviews) and ≥ 5 GPs, and short questionnaires for participating physicians. Conclusion To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the potential of (GP-led) HaH for geriatric patients in Germany. The results of this study should contribute to the development of HaH interventions, which in turn can be piloted in the German context.