Measuring discharge quality based on elderly patients’ experiences with discharge conversation: a cross-sectional study

[摘要] Background Discharge conversation is an essential partof preparing patients for the period after hospitalisation.Successful communication during such conversations isassociated with improved health outcomes for patients.Objective To investigate the association betweendischarge conversation and discharge quality assessed bymeasuring elderly patients’ experiences.Methods In this cross-sectional study, we surveyedall patients ≥65 years who had been discharged fromtwo medical units in two hospitals in Western Norway30 days prior. We measured patient experiences usingtwo previously validated instruments: The DischargeCare Experiences Survey Modified (DICARES-M) and TheNordic Patient Experiences Questionnaire (NORPEQ). Weexamined differences in characteristics between patientswho reported having a discharge conversation with thosewho did not, and used regression analyses to examinethe associations of the DICARES-M and NORPEQ with theusefulness of discharge conversation.Results Of the 1418 invited patients, 487 (34%) returnedthe survey. Their mean age was 78.5 years (SD=8.3) and52% were women. The total sample mean scores forthe DICARES-M and NORPEQ were 3.9 (SD=0.7, range:1.5–5.0) and 4.0 (SD=0.7, range: 2.2–5.0), respectively.Higher DICARES-M and NORPEQ scores were found forpatients who reported having a discharge conversation(74%) compared with those who did not (15%), or wereunsure (11%) whether they had a conversation (p<0.001).Patients who considered the conversation more useful hadsignificantly higher scores on both the DICARES-M andNORPEQ (p<0.001).Conclusions Reported discharge conversation at thehospital was correlated with positive patient experiencesmeasurements indicating the increased quality ofhospital discharge care. The reported usefulness of theconversation had a significant association with dischargecare quality.

[学科分类] 药学