Patients’ and Providers’ Perspectives of the Transition of Care from Hospital to Community for Hispanic/Latino Adults with Diabetes

Abstract

Introduction: Transition of care is a critical point of care for Hispanic/Latino patients with diabetes, who face higher rates of diabetes-related complications and hospital readmission and challenges during the transition of care from hospital to the community. Methods: Using semi-structured interviews, with questions tailored to each group, we explored patients’ and providers’ perspectives of their experiences and challenges during the transition of care of Hispanic/Latino adult patients with diabetes from the hospital to the community. Results: Overlapping themes emerged from both patient and provider interviews identifying common barriers regarding the transition of care, including discordance due to language/communication barriers, perceived burden/nuisance, lack/unawareness of available resources, and lack of patient education. Conclusions: Findings in this study provide a frame of reference that can be used to address challenges facing Hispanic/Latino patients with diabetes. The uniqueness of this study is its exploration of the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers and the overlapping themes that emerged. Additionally, timely outpatient follow-up care, education, and reducing communication discordance can help with lowering readmission rates for patients with diabetes, especially those who are medically disadvantaged and have language barriers.