Abstract
Despite hospital palliative care consultations during which goals of care are discussed in the context of poor prognoses, older adults are admitted to nursing homes (NHs) for post-acute care where the focus is on rehabilitation. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe factors that influence discontinuity between a palliative care consult and NH care and explore the potential consequences of this discontinuity. Twelve adults (mean age, 80 years) were enrolled from 1 community hospital and NH in the mid-Atlantic United States. Semistructured interviews and medical record reviews were used to elicit information about clinical course, care processes, and patient/family preferences at hospital discharge and up to 4 times after NH admission. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis techniques. Analysis revealed 2 themes: inadequate communication, characterized by the lack of information about the palliative care consult after hospital discharge, and prognosis incongruence, evidenced by data demonstrating a discrepancy between hospital prognosis and NH care. Ongoing communication between settings to readdress goals of care, prognosis, and symptoms-the central tenets of palliative care-is lacking. Efforts to improve access to comprehensive palliative care delivery after hospitalization and during NH transitions are greatly needed.