Rudd Caroline, Smith Judith
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital, Coventry.
Nurs Stand. 2002;17(5):33-7. doi: 10.7748/ns2002.10.17.5.33.c3282.
Two audits were conducted by a small team of nurses to measure the effectiveness of discharge management and planning in a four-ward orthopaedic and trauma unit. Co-ordinating this process is an important part of the nurse's role, as discharge planning is a vital component of effective bed management. This work focused on changing practice and measuring change, rather than on the effects of length of stay in hospital.
The findings showed that some wards were proactive: planning started on admission and patients were given realistic planned discharge dates and a list of probable capabilities. However, discharge planning varied from ward to ward, and there was no shared common practice. Both audits reflect the need to raise the profile of discharge planning and audit, to increase staff co-operation with the planning process.
一个护士小组进行了两次审计，以评估一个拥有四个病房的骨科和创伤科的出院管理与规划的有效性。协调这一过程是护士职责的重要组成部分，因为出院规划是有效床位管理的关键要素。这项工作侧重于改变实践并衡量变化，而非住院时间的影响。
结果表明，一些病房很积极主动：入院时就开始规划，为患者提供切实可行的预计出院日期和可能具备的能力清单。然而，各病房的出院规划各不相同，没有共同的做法。两次审计均表明有必要提高出院规划和审计的关注度，以增强工作人员在规划过程中的合作。
