The Macro Impact of Microtransitions in Post-acute and Long-Term Care

The care transitions concept emerged in medical literature more than 40 years ago, with an exponential rise in publications dedicated to its exploration since that time. It is generally accepted that older patients are particularly vulnerable during care transitions because of complex medical comorbidity, frailty, cognitive dysfunction, and the fragmented nature of health care. A care transition is defined as the movement of patients from one health care setting to another as their care needs change during acute or chronic illness.