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Effective discharge policy : Are we getting there?
Middleton, Sandy Appleberg, Michael Girgis, Seham Ward, Jeanette E.
Middleton, Sandy
Appleberg, Michael
Girgis, Seham
Ward, Jeanette E.
Abstract
Purpose: To determine patients? knowledge before admission about how many days they were likely to be hospitalised and, after discharge, to determine patients? perceptions of their ?readiness? to leave hospital following carotid endarterectomy. Usefulness of discharge communications to patients? GPs also was ascertained. Methods: Pre- and post-operative self-administered questionnaires to 133 patients and a followup telephone survey of GPs providing primary care to 118 of these patients. Results: Pre-operatively, the majority (84.2%) of patients recalled being told how many days they were likely to be hospitalised. Univariate analysis did not demonstrate any factors predicting positive recall. The majority (87.0%) of patients perceived themselves ?ready to go home? at discharge. Twenty-eight GPs (23.7%) had received both a discharge summary from the hospital and a personalised letter from the patient?s surgeon. GP?s rated the surgeons? letters as significantly more useful than discharge summaries (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Although hospitals are required by NSW Health?s Effective Discharge Policy to inform patients about their likely length of stay in hospital, not all patients recalled whether they were so informed pre-operatively. Barriers impeding realisation of the NSW Health policy remain.
Keywords
Date
2004
Type
Journal article
Journal
Australian Health Review
Book
Volume
28
Issue
3
Page Range
255-259
Article Number
ACU Department
Nursing Research Institute
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
DOI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled