Understanding Long Term Professional Home Care Services and Care Transitions Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review Protocol
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: Older adults with complex health needs experience frequent care transitions, which increase the risk of adverse outcomes. Long-term professional home care services (HCS) are expected to help reduce these risks and support aging in place; however, their role within broader care trajectories remains insufficiently documented.
Objective: To examine the current state of the literature regarding long-term professional HCS and care transitions among older adults experiencing loss of autonomy and to examine how the duration, type of interventions, and intensity of long-term professional HCS are measured and reported, and which care transitions are considered, and avoidable transitions addressed.
Method: A scoping review on care transitions for individuals aged 65 and older receiving long-term professional HCS, following the methodology outlined by Arksey and O’Malley (2005), later refined by Levac et al. (2010), using data published from January 2015 through October 2025. Quantitative empirical studies, mixed-methods studies, conceptual papers, literature reviews and peer-reviewed editorials will be searched and extracted from the following databases: Ageline, CINAHL Plus (via EBSCO), MEDLINE (via EBSCO), and PsycINFO. PubMed will be searched additionally to identify in-process and non-MEDLINE records. Two independent reviewers will screen and select articles based on predefined criteria. Discrepancies will be resolved through discussion or a third reviewer. Findings will be shared with relevant partners to inform and enrich the interpretation of the results.
Discussion and Research Spin-offs: This scoping review will inform transitional care practices by synthesizing existing evidence, to identify system-level gaps in long-term professional HCS, and to outline priorities for future research and practice development.
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