Patient evaluation of the care and rehabilitation process in geriatric hospital care

Purpose: To gain a deeper understanding of how elderly persons experience and evaluate the care and rehabilitation process. Method: Qualitative interview data from elderly patients were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The patients were interviewed twice, at the beginning of geriatric hospital care and some weeks after discharge. Results: The patient-perceived outcome of the care and rehabilitation process reflected two dimensions; the effect on their health and the quality of the process, i.e. how their needs were met. The analysis revealed that the patients' needs differed during the care and rehabilitation process. It also indicated that patients perceived their needs and the care differently based on their previous experience of the care unit, their perceived trajectory of illness and their 'patient character' which represented the patient's definition of himself/herself and the situation. A hypothetical model of the patients' evaluation process has been derived. Conclusion: The results indicate the importance of using a process perspective in the assessment and the interpretation of patient-perceived outcome of care and rehabilitation, and that patient expectations, trajectories of illness and the patient character must be taken into consideration.