A survey on the attitudes of nurses in a general hospital to hospital discharge plans

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how effectiveness in planning hospital discharge could be achieved by recognizing the current status of "hospital discharge plans" by nurses. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 362 nurses working for a general hospital in the Tohoku region. The survey contained items related to basic attributes, implementation, timing, and difficulties associated with hospital discharge planning, and cooperation with other specialties. Analysis of the survey results suggested the following points: (1) approximately half of the nurses who had been involved in enforcement of a hospital discharge plan thought that the plan had been commenced too late; (2) participation of patients and their families was regarded as important; and (3) cooperation with staff from other specialties, lack of time for providing discharge guidance, and relationships with patients' families were indicated as difficulties. We therefore found that, although it was necessary to commence discharge planning in the early stages of hospitalization, the staff in charge of a patient found it difficult to do starting the plan. Furthermore, for implementation of effective hospital discharge plans, it appears important to obtain common understanding across all hospital departments and to systemize the implementation process.