Rethinking about transition to nursing homes: A qualitative study of key stakeholders

Person-centred care has been a well-established concept to transition senior adults (SA) into nursing homes (NH). However, in practice, the need to provide basic care amidst the persistent manpower crunch in community care has consistently superseded the direction of person-centred care in NH transition. Even with the introduction of new service models, studies continued to advocate that navigation of services should remain simple and streamlined.

In relation to the ‘wicked problem’ that persist, design thinking (DT) was adopted to address this unacceptably huge gap between the services that operators aim to deliver and the actual service that is delivered. In an earlier study, principles of DT were used to deepen empathy for SA transitioning into NH in Singapore. The current study aims to (1) validate the experience of transition from the perspectives of care staff, and (2) develop a user-centric service blueprint to better transition SA into NH in Singapore.

A qualitative approach though focus group discussions with care staff working in NH were conducted in this study. Findings from the thematic analysis unravelled similarities on the factors influencing a positive transition from the perspective of care staff and SA transitioning into NH in Singapore. A service blueprint, with areas of opportunities to facilitate a positive transition, was also co-created and will be trialled at the next phase of the study.

To date, this study is the first of its kind, in applying principles of DT to improve the multifaceted journey experienced by SA transitioning into NH in Singapore.