We Need Better Solutions for Care Transitions after Hospitalizations in Korea

Abstract

quired pneumonia (CAP) and admitted to the hospital for intravenous antibiotic treatment. As one of the most common acute infectious illnesses, most people do not consider CAP a life-changing medical event. During his 1-week stay in the hospital, Mr. Kim recovered from pneumonia; however, he also became weaker and could not walk for several minutes or perform daily activities without assistance. This deconditioning, called “hospitalization-associated disability,” is defined as a newly acquired disability among activities of daily living (ADL) during hospitalization. In a recent study, almost one in two older adults hospitalized with pneumonia developed hospitalization-associated disability. After a rapid economic and social transformation, older adults in Korea are in crucial need of long-term care system due to the shift in family duties away from caring for one’s parents. In response to these needs, the Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) was launched in 2008. LTCI has played a major role in the transition from home care to long-term care facilities and increased social responsibilities for older adults. While LTCI has built the foundation for care benefits in communities focusing on ADL, the system has provided little attention to caregiving issues associated with postacute care. Older adults are vulnerable to the adverse effects of hospitalization, are prone to experiencing functional decline, and in many cases, never return to their baseline status. Patients with stronger familial support and hence the ability to perform self-rehabilitation showed better resilience to functional decline after hospitalization, underscoring the role of social support in care transition. Older patients with both multimorbidity and functional impairment who are in the transition phase of acute hospitalization require attention from multiple domains of medical, nursing, and social care in both communities and hospitals. However, in the current medical delivery system of Korea, at the patient level, there are Letter to the Editor pISSN 2508-4798 eISSN 2508-4909 Ann Geriatr Med Res 2021;25(1):60-62 https://doi.org/10.4235/agmr.21.0019