Abstract
Introduction
Geriatric and general medical wards have nationally been troubled with an ever increasing patient population requiring carer support at home and a widespread shortage of those able to deliver it. This pilot project aimed to assess patient understanding of the care they were awaiting, their understanding of the reason for ongoing hospitalisation and their satisfaction with the care on discharge. We aimed to improve patient understanding with the use of a patient information leaflet (PIL).
Method
Patients identified during multi-disciplinary team meetings at two district general and one community hospitals as being medically fit for discharge and awaiting care at home were questioned. Those lacking capacity for the discussion were excluded. Approximately half questioned were given a PIL detailing the scope of a domiciliary care package. Patients discharged home were followed up via telephone.
Results
Twenty nine patients were questioned. 21% of patients died before follow up and 14% were excluded due to direct care home admission. Only 59% were discharged home. Two thirds had received domiciliary care previously. Good awareness that wait for care was hindering discharge (76%) but poor understanding of scope of carers. 21% believed care call duration was limitless, 28% expected their home to be cleaned and 31% believed they chose the timing of care calls. All happy with care received at home. Poor recall of information on PIL.
Conclusion
Prolonged periods waiting for care is associated with high mortality and institutionalisation rates. Awareness of the discharge process and scope of care could be improved but PIL unlikely to be a sufficient method for such complex matters. For those discharged, patient satisfaction of the care received is high. Further research is required.