Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOC) can cause significant problems for older people, as it can detrimentally affect their health and wellbeing. However, the causes are many, diverse and complex.
A new study has examined discharge processes by using “systems thinking”; an approach which views the hospitals, communities and individuals as complex networks. Existing evidence has been reviewed, and we have conducted a pilot of a ‘soft systems’ method to new Discharge to Assess models in one locality.
The work is being led by researchers at the University of York, with collaboration across the ARC network.