Promoting health literacy of older post-discharge patients in general practice - Creation of the GP-MATE communication tool through co-design

Objective: Work with older patients and their carers to co-design a tool that improves patient- general practice communication and continuity of care following discharge of an older person from hospital. Methods: Experience Based Co-Design with three teams of six to seven lay people (older patients and their carers), each supported by a corresponding general practice group. The process included an implementation-focused event with participants using the intervention in a live role-play. Results: Co-design generated a patient-held tool (GP-MATE) that focuses on four areas of post-discharge care: carers/caring; continuity; medication safety and information power. Access to general practice for patients/ carers post-discharge was considered to be vital to improving communication. Discussion and conclusion: The co-design process enabled patients and carers to be involved through all stages of intervention development, ensuring relevance and alignment. Practice implications: The intervention is uniquely suited to general practice, comprehensive yet brief enough to be usable within a 20-minute consultation. While the domains of GP-MATE compare well with existing care transitions literature, it will be important to assess impact on already busy practice schedules and impact on care.