Transitions of Care in the Veteran Population and the Effects of Patient Education on Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The main focus of this systematic literature review was to assess research on care transitions in the veteran population as well as the effects of patient education interventions. A variety of care transition interventions were discovered in the literature. The majority of the interventions described in the research were based upon earlier research by Coleman, Parry, Chalmers and Min - The Care Transitions Intervention (2006), and Naylor and Keating - Transitional Care Model (2008). The large variety in patient populations, heterogeneity of interventions, and lack of protocols hinders direct comparisons between the care transition interventions. Apparent assessment methods for patient education success were largely absent in the literature reviewed. Improved communication, standardization of interventions, and predictions models are likely to be beneficial in developing successful care transition programs in the future for veterans as well as other patient populations.