Navigating the cracks in the health care system

BETH ANN SWAN is dean and professor at the Jefferson School of Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University. With 30 years working as a nurse clinician, researcher, educator and administrator, it would seem likely that she would be more able than most to navigate our complicated health care system, but after her husband Eric suffered a serious brain stem stroke while on a trip to Chicago, Swan learned first hand how challenging it can be for patients who are still recovering to transition from hospital to home. Swan has written about their experiences in an article, “Narrative Matters”, published in the November 2012 issue of Health Affairs. She joins us in this hour of Radio Times to talk about how fragmented the health care system can be, what she learned from being a caregiver and the valuable role nursing can play in assuring the health and well-being of patients. We’ll also hear from MARY NAYLOR of the University of Pennsylvania who has developed an innovative model of care relying on advanced practice nurses to help people make the difficult transition from hospital to home.

AP Photo/CTK, Stanislav Zbynek