Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Participatory Medicine
Date Submitted: Aug 29, 2025
Date Accepted: Feb 28, 2026
A care transitions e-clinical pathway for patients with chronic conditions: Developing and integrating end-user education and resources
ABSTRACT
Background:
Understanding patient educational requirements for care transitions is crucial for ensuring safe and effective care for patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCC).
Objective:
Within a larger study developing an e-clinical pathway to support the safe transition for patients with MCC from hospital to home and then to primary care, this study identified, evaluated, and integrated content to meet the educational requirements of potential end users of the e-clinical pathway.
Methods:
A qualitative secondary analysis, utilizing an inductive/deductive hybrid thematic analysis, was conducted.
Results:
A total of 23 individuals (12 clinical staff/providers and 11 patient advisors) participated in the original study. The participants described preferred education content, education considerations, and education presentation and display. We identified the following themes regarding specific education requirements for MCC transitions: (1) essential end-user education includes condition-specific, nutrition, and medication content; (2) education must be truthful, accessible, and consider end-user health literacy; and (3) education presentation can be enhanced with graphics, reminders, and end-user resources.
Conclusions:
The findings were used to develop an educational pathway with targeted and tailored content to support patients with MCC as they transition from an acute hospitalization back to their primary care provider, which was implemented in the study app. Study findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of end-user education requirements and informed enhancements to the patient facing app used in the primary study.
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