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Improving the discharge process by embedding a discharge facilitator in a resident team
Author(s) -
Finn Kathleen M.,
Heffner Rebecca,
Chang Yuchiao,
Bazari Hasan,
Hunt Daniel,
Pickell Karen,
Berube Rhodes,
Raju Shveta,
Farrell Elizabeth,
Iyasere Christiana,
Thompson Ryan,
O'Malley Terrence,
O'Donnell Walter,
Karson Andrew
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of hospital medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.128
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1553-5606
pISSN - 1553-5592
DOI - 10.1002/jhm.924
Subject(s) - medicine , facilitator , emergency department , rapid response team , randomized controlled trial , intervention (counseling) , medical prescription , emergency medicine , psychological intervention , hospital discharge , patient discharge , hospital medicine , medical emergency , family medicine , medline , nursing , intensive care medicine , political science , law
BACKGROUND: Hospital discharges are vulnerable periods for patient safety, especially in teaching hospitals where discharges are done by residents with competing demands. We sought to assess whether embedding a nurse practitioner on a medical team to help physicians with the discharge process would improve communication, patient follow‐up, and hospital reutilization. METHODS: A 5‐month randomized controlled trial was conducted on the medical service at an academic tertiary‐care hospital. A nurse practitioner was randomly assigned to 1 resident team to complete discharge paperwork, arrange follow‐up appointments and prescriptions, communicate discharge plans with nursing and primary care physicians, and answer questions from discharged patients. RESULTS: Intervention patients had more discharge summaries completed within 24 hours (67% vs 47%, P < 0.001). Similarly, they had more follow‐up appointments scheduled by the time of discharge (62% vs 36%, P < 0.0001) and attended those appointments more often within 2 weeks (36% vs 23%, P < 0.0002). Intervention patients knew whom to call with questions (95% vs 85%, P = 0.003) and were more satisfied with the discharge process (97% vs 76%, P < 0.0001). Attending rounds on the intervention team finished on time (45% vs 31%, P = 0.058), and residents signed out on average 46 minutes earlier each day. There was no significant difference between the groups in 30‐day emergency department visits or readmissions. CONCLUSIONS: Helping resident physicians with the discharge process improves many aspects of discharge communication and patient follow‐up, and saves residents' time, but had no effect on hospital reutilization for a general medicine population. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2011;. © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine.