Factors Associated With Ward Nurses’ Discharge Support Practices for Stroke Patients in Acute Care Hospitals

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the current status of discharge support practices for stroke patients provided by nurses in acute care hospitals and to identify the factors associated with these practices.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 719 nurses working in the neurosurgery or neurology wards of hospitals certified as primary stroke centers by the Japan Stroke Society. The survey included the Discharge Planning of Ward Nurses scale. Statistical analyses were performed using the scale as the dependent variable.

Results: Data from 180 valid responses were analyzed. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the implementation of discharge support conferences (β = .260, p < .001), collaboration with physicians (β = .205, p = .005), participation in discharge support education outside of formal curricula (β = .185, p = .007), and the use of guidelines and manuals (β = .177, p = .008) were significantly associated with better discharge support practice scores.

Conclusion: In acute care hospitals, the discharge support practices of ward nurses for stroke patients were found to be associated with higher levels of practical competence in the following order: use of discharge support conferences, collaboration with physicians, participation in discharge support education outside of formal curricula, and the use of procedural manuals and guidelines.