2 years ago

An interview with Dr. Catherine Hudon on ‘Better understanding care transitions of adults with complex health and social care needs: a study protocol’

Dr. Catherine Hudon

 

This content is part of the Research in Practice in General Medicine series of interviews with scientists, focusing on how their research work can have impact on medical practice. Click here to follow 'Research in Practice in General Medicine' - for free - on Researcher for more great interviews.

 

Who are you, where do you work and what do you work on?

I am a family physician and clinician-researcher working at the Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine of Université de Sherbrooke, province of Quebec, Canada. During my 25-year practice, I have realized the huge challenges faced by adults with chronic conditions who also suffer from mental health comorbidities and/or social vulnerability around their care transitions in the healthcare system and I want to improve these transitions. 

 

Tell us about your paper and why this topic is so important?

The aim of our study is to better understand care transitions of adults with complex health and social care needs across community, primary care, and hospital settings, combining the experiences of patients and their families, providers, and health managers. This paper presents the protocol of our two-phase mixed methods multiple case study. This work is one of the first to examine these care transitions by adopting a comprehensive vision of care transitions and bringing together the experiences of key stakeholders. Findings will inform the optimization of integrated care, positively impact the health of adults with complex needs, and reduce the economic burden to the health and social care systems. 

 

What's the connection between your research and medical practice? How do you hope your work will have an impact on therapies / treatments and patient outcomes in the future?

My research is directly inspired by my medical practice. I have met many of these people with complex needs over the years. Their journey in the healthcare system involves a number of interfaces between home, community, primary care, and hospital settings. In these transitions, they often have to repeat their story, develop trust and new relationships with many providers, and make many important decisions. Problems with care transitions can seriously impact their health and experience as well as the healthcare system performance. I hope our work will inform improvements in the healthcare system.

 

Where could your work lead you next? What's the dream outcome / ultimate aim?

This study is part of a broader research program, conducted over the last decade, aiming to improve integrated care for people with complex needs. Next steps will be to use the results towards more integrated and better care for the patients. I am convinced that there is still room for improvement!

 

You can read and discover Dr. Catherine Hudon’s research here.

 

Better understanding care transitions of adults with complex health and social care needs: a study protocol is published in Springer Nature

 

Photo Credits: Google Scholar

Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-022-07588-0

DOI: 7211.28977.3213e80e-ac8a-4aaa-8dfb-fea3504b5445.1658727987

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