How Important Is It to Follow Your Hospital Discharge Plan?

Studies show that there is a direct correlation between correctly following discharge instructions from the hospital and better recovery. The rate of readmissions to the hospital decreased and patients experienced better overall health.

As an example, since 2006, research conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality discovered: “When it comes to delaying readmissions, discharge instructions appear to have an effect over and above any effect of prescribing ACEI.” (ACEI is an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor.) The study concluded: “Documentation of discharge information and patient education does appear, in fact, to be associated with reductions in both mortality and readmissions.”

What is key to successful recovery is that patients clearly understand and properly adhere to all discharge instructions. When instructions are complex or patient’s suffer from certain conditions (such as Alzheimer’s) that make understanding or remembering the post-hospital care instructions challenging, there is a greater chance that directions will not be followed properly, thus putting the patient’s recovery at risk.

In our nearly 25 years of experience in the home health care and  with our care management service options, we at Premier Home Health Care Services, Inc. have seen a variety of discharge plans that reflected the different needs based on what patients had been treated for while in the hospital. They typically include prescribed medications or changes to medications that must be taken on a specific schedule, along with instructions to follow up with doctors and specialists.

For patients who struggle to maintain medication schedules, travel to or manage doctor appointments or follow a new meal plan, Premier Home Health Care can help. Our care management team can help manage medications and coordinate follow-up appointments. Our Appointment Escort Service ensures our clients will safely get to their follow-up doctor appointments.

Our home health aides can prepare nutritious meals that follow prescribed guidelines. Not only can our team help ensure that meals are fresh and healthy, but with our commitment to cultural needs, meals can reflect specialized tastes and customs that makes following a new diet more enjoyable.

Premier Home Health Care’s commitment to different cultural needs also includes a culturally sensitive RN supervisory staff that will help develop care plans and translate the plan, in addition to the hospital discharge instructions for family and clients. Languages our team members speak include Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, various African dialects and a variety of Asian languages.

In addition to our assistance in following the discharge plans, our blog, Checklist: Returning Home from a Hospital Stay, is a great resource for preparing the patient’s home following a hospital stay, thus making it safe to stay in. To learn more about Premier Home Health Care and our services, please call 1-866-648-5119.