A journal dedicated to allied health professional practice and education
http://ijahsp.nova.edu        Vol. 4 No. 1       ISSN 1540-580X 

A Peer Reviewed Publication of the College of Allied Health & Nursing at Nova Southeastern University

Incorporating Patient and Carer Concerns in Discharge Plans: The Development of a Practical Patient-Centred Checklist

Karen Grimmer, PhD1

John Moss, MSocSci2

Julie Falco, RN3

Helen Kindness, BPhty4

Australia

  1. Director, Centre for Allied Health Evidence, University of South Australia

  2. Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health, University of Adelaide

  3. Bed Manager, Lyell McEwin Hospital (on secondment to the Centre for Allied Health Research, University of South Australia)

  4. Physiotherapy Advisor, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, NSW

Citation:
Grimmer, K., Moss, J., Falco, J., Kindness, H. Incorporating patient and carer concerns in discharge plans: The development of a practical patient-centred checklist. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. Jan 2006. Volume 4 Number 1.

Abstract
 Discharge plans should include prompts for patients and their families to identify key concerns regarding their ability to undertake practical activities of daily living post-discharge. During a six month series of post-discharge interviews, elderly recently ill patients and their carers identified concerns about managing on leaving the hospital, encompassing transport home from hospital, gaining entry to their home, having appropriate food and effective heating or cooling available immediately post-discharge, obtaining assistance in managing their home and family responsibilities, navigating around their house, accessing their General Medical Practitioner, going shopping, paying bills and regaining social contacts. Few of these concerns were addressed in formal discharge plans made by hospital staff for patients in our study.  This paper outlines the development of a patient-centred checklist generated from patient and carer concerns related to being prepared for discharge.

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This study was funded by a grant co-funded by the Office for the Ageing and the South Australian Health Commission, 1999-2001

Keywords and terms: discharge planning, elderly patients, carers, independence, activities of daily living, checklist.

Article