Ethics approval and consent to participate
The Good Epidemiological Practice guidelines recommended by the International Epidemiological Association (IEA 2007) and the Helsinki declaration are followed. This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain (2010/6031); the Ethics Review Committee on Human Research of the University of Tartu (196/T-3) and the Ethical Committee of the Hospital District of South-West Finland (8/2010), Finland; the Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud-Ouest et Outre-Mer, Toulouse, France (09 202 07); the Nursing Science Ethical Committee at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany; the Medical Ethical Committee of the Academic Hospital Maastricht/Maastricht University, the Netherlands (MEC 10-5-044); the Regional Ethical Review Board in Lund, Sweden (2010/538); and the National Research Ethics Service, North West 5 Research Ethics Committee, the United Kingdom (11/NW/0003) (Verbeek et al., 2012). Participants were informed of the study purpose, and they were free to participate or withdraw from the study at any time. They were asked to sign the informed consent form.
Consent for publication
Not applicable
Availability of data and materials
The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Funding
The RightTimePlaceCare study was supported by a grant from the European Commission within the 7th Framework Program (project 242153). The funder played no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.
Authors' contributions
Anna Renom-Guiteras (ARG), F. Javier Afonso (JA) and Gabriele Meyer (GM) contributed to the conception, design of the work, analysis and interpretation of data of the present study. Mercè Comas (MC) contributed to the analysis of data. Ansgar Wübker (AW) contributed to the design of the work. ARG, GM, AW, Astrid Stephan (AS), Helena Leino-Kilpi (HLK), Connie Lethin (CL), Kai Saks (KS), Maria Soto-Martin (MSM), Caroline Sutcliffe (CS), Hilde Verbeek (HV) and Adelaida Zabalegui (AZ) contributed to the conception, design of the work, acquisition of data for the RTPC study. JA prepared the first draft of the manuscript, supported by ARG. All authors critically reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements
We thank Robert Schmitz for his previous work analyzing transfer episodes among the participants of the RTPC study. We appreciate the collaboration of Georgina Ramírez Rodríguez, M.D. for her support at the cost estimations shown in the study.
Group authorship
The RightTimePlaceCare (RTPC) Consortium partners are as follows:
Coordinator
University of Witten/Herdecke (DE): Gabriele Meyer PhD, RN, professor (scientific coordinator, WP 1 leader), Astrid Stephan PhD, RN, Anna Renom-Guiteras PhD, Dirk Sauerland, professor (WP 4 and 6 leader), Dr Ansgar Wübker PhD, Patrick Bremer.
Consortium members
Maastricht University (NL): Jan P.H. Hamers PhD, RN; Basema Afram MSc, Hanneke C. Beerens PhD, RN; Michel H.C. Bleijlevens, PhD, PT; Hilde Verbeek, PhD; Sandra M.G. Zwakhalen, PhD, RN; Dirk Ruwaard, MD, Ton Ambergen, PhD.
Lund University (SE): Ingalill Rahm Hallberg PhD, RN; Ulla Melin Emilsson PhD; Staffan Karlsson, PhD, RN; Christina Bokberg, PhD, RN; Connie Lethin, PhD, RN.
University of Manchester (UK): David Challis, PhD, professor; Caroline Sutcliffe, MSc; David Jolley, PhD; Sue Tucker, MSc, RN; Ian Bowns, PhD; Brenda Roe, PhD; Alistair Burns, PhD, professor.
University of Turku (FI): Helena Leino-Kilpi, PhD, RN, professor; Jaana Koskenniemi, MNSc, RN, researcher; Riitta Suhonen, PhD, RN, professor; Matti Viitanen, MD, PhD, professor; Seija Arve, PhD, RN, adjunct professor; Minna Stolt, MNSc; Maija Hupli, PhD, RN.
University of Tartu (EE): Kai Saks, MD, PhD, professor; Ene-Margit Tiit, PhD, professor; Jelena Leibur, MD, MBA; Katrin Raamat, MA; Angelika Armolik, MA; Teija Tuula Marjatta Toivari, RN.
Fundació Privada Clinic per la Recerca Biomedica, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (ES): Adelaida Zabalegui, PhD, RN, FEANS (WP 5 leader); Montserrat Navarro, PhD, RN; Esther Cabrera, PhD, RN (Tecnocampus Mataró); Ester Risco, PhD, RN; Carme Alvira, PhD, RN; Marta Farré, MSc, RN; Susana Miguel, MSc, RN.
Gerontôpole, University of Toulouse (FR): Maria Soto, MD; Agathe Milhet; Sandrine Sourdet, MD; Sophie Gillette; Bruno Vellas, PhD.
Authors' information
Affiliations
Geriatric and Palliative Care Department. Badalona Serveis Assistencials. Barcelona, Spain.
F. Javier Afonso Argilés
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
F. Javier Afonso Argilés & Anna Renom-Guiteras
Department of Nursing Science. Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
Gabriele Meyer & Astrid Stephan
Institute of Health and Nursing Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Medical Faculty, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Gabriele Meyer & Astrid Stephan
Department of Epidemiology and Evaluation. Hospital del Mar, Parc de Salut Mar. Barcelona, Spain.
Mercè Comas Serrano
Member of the Health Services Research on Chronic Patients Network (REDISSEC), Spain.
Mercè Comas Serrano & Anna Renom-Guiteras
RWI – Leibniz-Institute for Economic Research, Leibniz Science Campus Ruhr and RUB, Essen, Germany
Ansgar Wübker
Department of Nursing Science and Nurse Director, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
Helena Leino-Kilpi
Department of Health Sciences. Faculty of Medicine. Lund University. SE-221 00 Lund. Sweden
Connie Lethin
Clinical Memory Research Unit. Department of Clinical Sciences. Lund University. SE-221 00 Lund. Sweden
Connie Lethin
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
Kai Saks
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Gerontopole, Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Inserm UMR 1027, University Hospital of Toulouse, France
Maria Soto-Martin
School of Health Sciences. University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Caroline Sutcliffe
Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
Hilde Verbeek
Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Hilde Verbeek
Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Adelaida Zabalegui
School of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Adelaida Zabalegui
Geriatric Department. Parc de Salut Mar. Barcelona, Spain.
Anna Renom-Guiteras