The Fundamentals of Care After Hospital Discharge
What are the Fundamentals of Care after hospital discharge? This article outlines some key points for caregivers, including Communication with patients, Patient-centred care, and multidisciplinary collaboration. In addition, it addresses medication errors and identifies patient preferences. The Fundamentals of Care after hospital discharge are critical for the health of every patient. Hopefully, these tips will help you make a difference.
Patient-centered care
A growing focus on QI in healthcare includes developing and implementing a patient-centered care after hospital discharge (PODS) intervention. It has been implemented successfully in various Ontario hospitals, with high fidelity scores and participation in a community of practice. Patient-centered care after hospital discharge (PCWD) interventions can improve patient-centered care after discharge processes by increasing standardization and quality. Increasing patient-centered care in hospitals is also supporting the development of these tools.
One method is to use a teach-back approach to assess patient readiness for self-care after hospital discharge. By asking patients to explain concepts to staff members, patients can identify misconceptions in real-time and avoid adverse events resulting from inadequate comprehension of discharge information. This method has been validated for teaching new skills but is not widely studied as a way to reduce readmissions. During the initial phase, post hospital care patients should receive an EMR-generated patient-centered discharge summary during the initial phase.
Multidisciplinary collaboration
Multidisciplinary collaboration after hospital discharge is an integral part of patient care. It is crucial to plan each patient’s post-discharge care based on their particular needs and preferences. The planning process should begin before the patient’s admission and be repeated throughout the inpatient stay. The multidisciplinary team meets with the patient and explains its role and responsibilities in a discharge roadmap. The checklist is reviewed and modified as required for each patient.
The primary purpose of multidisciplinary rounds is to coordinate patient care coordination. It enables the team members to better communicate and prevent unnecessary ” extras ” during the inpatient stay. For example, a patient might be overdue for a colonoscopy, but this isn’t a severe problem because it can be done on an outpatient basis. By focusing on the reasons for a patient’s inpatient stay, providers can keep them on track for discharge.
Communication with patients
Patients’ perception of communication with a healthcare provider after hospital discharge can significantly affect their satisfaction. For example, patients with a written discharge summary were more likely to understand it than those with verbal instructions. In the same study, Korean patients could better understand their discharge summary after receiving an MDiv. However, this finding was not generalizable to all patients. Audio-visual tools, including video-based discharge summaries, may help improve patient understanding.
In addition to reducing the likelihood of patient misinterpretation of instructions, patients should be given clear instructions regarding post-discharge care. Many patients do not understand essential instructions provided by hospital staff, resulting in higher readmission rates and ED visits. Incorrect or missing information in discharge documentation can result in poor health outcomes. Additionally, communication with patients after hospital discharge can help increase patients’ comprehension and knowledge of the post-discharge care process.
Medication errors
Attempts to prevent therapeutic medication errors after hospital discharge are often unsuccessful. Efforts to implement pharmacist medication reconciliation during the eruption, low-literacy aids, and patient counseling are insufficient to prevent these errors. Nonetheless, 13 percent of medication errors led to readmission. Additionally, nearly 1 out of 10 discharged patients had a definitive test awaiting results. Moreover, two-thirds of aftercare providers were unaware of special tests.
Medication errors in this setting are particularly prevalent among the elderly, the ill, and those with low health literacy. In addition, patients are prescribed multiple medications, and those prescribed high-risk medications are at greater risk. While many factors contribute to these errors, pharmacist-delivered interventions have effectively decreased the number of clinically significant errors after hospital discharge. Whether pharmacist-delivered interventions are implemented or not will depend on patient preferences and the type of medication, and the context.
Equipment delivery
A recent survey found that 25% of discharges are delayed because of delays in delivering end-of-life care equipment such as pressure-relieving mattresses, bed rails, and hospital beds. To understand the root causes of delays, the research team carried out a mapping exercise that included district nurses, hospital staff, and equipment providers. Using the results of the mapping exercise, the researchers identified areas for improvement and mapped the routes of equipment to the patient’s preferred place of care.
After a patient leaves the hospital, they often need to order equipment for recovery at home. Usually, this process can be delayed until the patient obtains any required documents from their primary care physician. If a patient has a condition requiring medical equipment in the home, they should receive the necessary documentation from their primary care physician. The physician will then write a new prescription if the patient is medically in need of the equipment.
Family involvement
The study’s goal was to determine whether the involvement of family members in patient care after discharge from the hospital was associated with patient attendance at outpatient follow-up appointments and follow-up care. Researchers looked at inpatient discharge plans, demographics, and clinical factors to determine if the involvement of family members is associated with patient attendance at outpatient follow-up appointments. These findings indicate that family involvement after hospital discharge may be beneficial.
Educating family caregivers on their patient’s condition and understanding insurance coverage and legal documents is essential. Additionally, caregivers should consider the needs and availability of post-hospital services. Finally, family members need to have a voice in caring for a loved one in the hospital. Involving family members at the start of a patient’s hospital stay is particularly important in the event of special needs.
