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PhD defence: Trine Worm Thøgersen

PhD defence on potentially preventable hospital admissions among older persons – perspectives from registers and frontline care

Info about event

Time

Friday 9 May 2025,  at 14:00 - 16:00

Location

Auditorium C114-101, Aarhus University Hospital

On Friday 9 May at 14:00, Trine Worm Thøgersen defends her PhD dissertation entitled "Potentially preventable hospitalisations among older persons: Insights from registries and frontline care".

Potentially preventable hospital admissions are used as a quality indicator in the healthcare system. To understand the mechanisms behind these admissions, it is necessary to consider perspectives at the micro (individual), meso (governance), and macro (system) levels. This has been done through two register-based studies examining the characteristics of older persons admitted with preventable conditions, as well as the impact of multimorbidity on readmissions and mortality. An ethnographic study has explored the practices of healthcare aides in supporting older persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are at risk of preventable hospital admissions.

The register-based studies show that multimorbidity significantly increases the risk of readmission and death, highlighting the need for individually tailored interventions. Patients admitted with preventable conditions represent a heterogeneous group in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. The ethnographic study underscores the central role of healthcare aides in delivering person-centred care to older persons in home care, where they skilfully balance routine workflows with the ability to notice and respond to changes.

Potentially preventable hospital admissions are influenced by a complex interplay between patient characteristics, governance mechanisms, and system-level factors. Preventing such admissions requires an approach that acknowledges the interconnection between factors at the micro, meso, and macro levels. This has been investigated in a new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place at auditorium C114-101, Aarhus University Hospital. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Trine Worm Thøgersen
Mail: trthoe@rm.dk  
Phone: +45 23850199

Read full press release