Barriers to discharge from inpatient rehabilitation: a teamwork approach
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 13 March 2017
Abstract
Purpose
In order to prevent adverse events during the discharge process, coordinating appropriate community resources, medication reconciliation, and patient education needs to be implemented before the patient leaves the hospital. This coordination requires communication and effective teamwork amongst staff members. In order to address these concerns, the purpose of this paper is to incorporate the TeamSTEPPS principles to develop a discharge plan that would best meet the needs of the patients as they return to the community.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a gap analysis, barriers to discharge were identified from the following disciplines: nursing, social work, physical and occupational therapy, psychology, and rehabilitation physician. To improve communication, weekly meetings and twice-weekly huddles were implemented so that concerns regarding discharge obstacles could be identified and resolved. Visibility of discharge dates were improved by use of graduation certificates in patient rooms and green ribbons on patient wheelchairs.
Findings
After implementation of this discharge intervention, length of stay was reduced providing cost savings to the hospital, patient satisfaction on HCAHP surveys improved and demonstrated patient satisfaction with the discharge process, and readmission rates improved.
Originality/value
This study demonstrated that effective teamwork and communication can improve patient safety and satisfaction during the discharge period.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Disclosures: the authors report no conflicts of interest. They did not receive any financial support or benefits for the work. Data and results presented in this paper have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.
Citation
Cruz, L.C., Fine, J.S. and Nori, S. (2017), "Barriers to discharge from inpatient rehabilitation: a teamwork approach", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 137-147. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-07-2016-0102
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited