Effects of facility-based transition care programs on health-related outcomes in older adults: a systematic review protocol

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the review is to synthesize the best available evidence on the effects of transition care rehabilitation programs on health-related outcomes in older adults admitted to a transition care facility. INTRODUCTION: Approximately 30% of older adults admitted to hospital experience functional decline after hospital discharge. To enable older adults to return to independent community living after hospitalization, transition care programs (TCPs) that focus on promoting safe recovery and maximizing older adults' functional ability have been developed. Limited studies have examined whether undertaking TCPs after hospitalization result in improved health-related outcomes in older adults compared to usual discharge care. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies that include participants 65 years of age or older, deliver TCPs in a facility-based setting, and report health-related outcomes will be included. Randomized and quasi-controlled study designs as well as observational cohort designs with pre-post outcomes will be included. METHODS: A three-step search strategy will be utilized. Databases that will be searched are PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCO), AMED (Ovid), PsycINFO, and Embase (Ovid). Studies published after 2000 will be included. Results of the search strategy will be presented using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram. Data extracted will include population characteristics, study design, duration, and intensity of the TCP, and health-related outcomes significant to the review question, including the discharge destination from TCPs (independent community living, residential aged care, or hospital). Quantitative data, where possible, will be pooled in statistical meta-analysis. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020177623.