A trip to the hospital can be an intimidating event for patients and their families. As a caregiver, you are focused completely on your family memberʼs medical treatment, and so is the hospital staff. You might not be giving much thought to what happens when your relative leaves the hospital.
Yet, the way this transition is handled—whether the discharge is to home, a rehabilitation (“rehab”) facility, or a nursing home—is critical to the health and well-being of your loved one. Studies have found that improvements in hospital discharge planning can dramatically improve the outcome for patients as they move to the next level of care.
Patients, family caregivers, and healthcare providers all play roles in maintaining a patientʼs health after discharge. And although itʼs a significant part of the overall care plan, there is a surprising lack of consistency in both the process and quality of discharge planning across the healthcare system.
