Patient Transfer Decision Difficulty Scale: Development and psychometric testing of emergency department visits by long-term care residents

摘要

Background and objectivesNurses serve as gatekeepers of the health of long-term care facility (LTCF) residents and are key members deciding whether residents should visit an emergency department (ED). Inappropriate decisions as to ED visits may result in ED overcrowding, excessive medical expenses, and nosocomial infections. Currently, there is a lack of effective tools for assessing the barriers and level of difficulty experienced by LTCF nurses. The purposes of this study were to develop a Patient Transfer Decision Difficulty Scale (PTDDS) and test its effectiveness.