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Matilde Skødstrup Axelsen, nurse, MSc (Nursing), and PhD student, spent part of the spring and summer at the Cardiology Department of Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, collecting insights to improve hospitalisation experiences for patients.
She has observed communication between nurses and patients over 65 with multiple chronic conditions and their relatives during internal transitions. Internal transitions occur when a patient is transferred between units, e.g., for specialised treatment or even to other hospitals in the region.
Matilde Skødstrup Axelsen has also interviewed patients and staff. Hearing from all parties—including the personal experiences of patients and their relatives—is crucial to improving hospitalisation experiences.
Important Communication
Healthcare staff use the same electronic patient record systems, but their use varies between departments depending on what each department considers most important. This can complicate the transfer of information between departments.
“When communication between health-care professionals breaks down, it can lead to errors—and in some cases, the patient becomes an unintentional messenger of their own information. This places additional pressure on an already vulnerable group of patients,” says Matilde Skødstrup Axelsen.
Patient Safety
Observations and informal interviews are part of the three-year Danish-Swedish research project *Bridging Safe Elderly Care*, which aims to improve patient safety for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions through better communication and documentation and to prevent readmissions.
Support for Healthcare Staff
The findings from Matilde’s work will be used to develop a prototype for a new digital solution: a transition page integrated into the current electronic health record system, *Sundhedsplatformen*.
With the help of artificial intelligence, the page will provide healthcare professionals with a consolidated overview of relevant information during all patient transitions.
Better management of internal transitions for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions could, in the long term, help reduce errors and ensure a safer, more secure treatment journey.