A Better Way to Care for Long-Term Care Residents in Times of Medical Urgency: An Implementation Intervention Using a Stepped-Wedge Design to Reduce Unnecessary Acute Care Transfers

June 6, 2025
JAMDA

Approximately 25% of long-term care (LTC) residents are transferred to an emergency department (ED) when experiencing an acute change in health status. This can place strain on health care resources and negatively impact residents. Many residents’ conditions could be managed within LTC if appropriate supports were provided. This implementation study objective was to optimize and evaluate processes followed when considering acute care management and transfer decisions for residents in LTC.