ResearchDo Patients Understand Discharge Instructions?
Section snippets
Methods
This prospective, randomized, descriptive study used follow-up telephone calls placed to patients 1 day after ED discharge in order to assess their understanding of aftercare instructions. The study site was the emergency department of Reston Hospital Center, located in Reston, Virginia. The Reston Hospital Emergency Department treats about 40,000 patients annually and discharges 82% back into the community without hospital admission. Subjects consisted of adult patients, aged 18 years or
Results
Thirty-three percent of the subjects were male and 66% were female. Ages ranged from 22 to 91 years with a mean age of 48 years (SD = 18 years). The most common medical problems were musculoskeletal complaints (n = 10), followed by gastrointestinal symptoms (n = 7), chest pain (n = 6), minor wounds (n = 6), and headache (n = 5). Fifteen of the 49 subjects contacted (31%) requested information about discharge instructions that required further clarification on the part of the investigator. In
Discussion
In the emergency department where this study was conducted, nurses value patient education, and established procedures and resources exist to support formalized discharge teaching for every patient. In spite of these efforts, nearly one third of subjects had substantive questions or areas of confusion that required additional explanation within 1 day of ED discharge. Some patients experienced unnecessary discomfort because they did not understand they had prescriptions for analgesic
Sandra Zavala, Member, Northern Virginia Chapter, is Emergency Nurse, Reston Hospital Center, Reston, VA, and Graduate Student, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
References (5)
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Emergency department discharge instructions comprehension and compliance study
Can J Emerg Med
(2005) - et al.
Patient expectations of emergency department care: phase I—a focus group study
Can J Emerg Med
(2005)
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Sandra Zavala, Member, Northern Virginia Chapter, is Emergency Nurse, Reston Hospital Center, Reston, VA, and Graduate Student, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
Carol Shaffer is Research Coordinator, Reston Hospital Center, Reston, VA, and Adjunct Faculty Member, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
Earn Up to 8.5 CE Hours. See page 211.