How to Achieve a Simple & Timely Discharge From a Hospital

Hospitals bring in new patients and discharge cured or healed patients every day. When patients are ready to leave the hospital after a stay for various medical needs like surgery, childbirth or anything else that results in hospitalized care, discharge is the next step. Doctors need records that the patient is discharged and left after being given everything and patients need a timely and easy discharge that avoids stress after the hospital stay.

Instructions

• 1

  Plan the discharge ahead of time. Planning and preparation are key points to a smooth and timely discharge. Plans might change according to the needs of the patient or unexpected events, like a C-section during a delivery of a child that was unexpected and results in a longer hospital stay, but initial plans and alternate plans make the process smoother.

• 2

  Organize all of the paperwork in advance. Discharging a patient requires paperwork and getting the paperwork signed by either the patient or a representative of the patient like a parent or guardian. Get the paperwork ready at least an hour beforehand so that patients aren't waiting for the paperwork.

• 3

  Inform the patient when they are free to leave. Tell the patient when they are scheduled for release. For example, a woman that has given birth should receive a timeframe of when she is recovered enough that she can complete recovery at home, usually within a day or two of the birth, though some births require as long as a week or more. Give the patient a timeframe and time that they are free to leave.

• 4

  Give prescriptions or other paperwork before the discharge time. Patients need the prescriptions in hand before they leave. Giving any necessary prescriptions, such as a pain killer after a surgery or an antibiotic after an injury, makes the discharge process smooth and quick.

• 5

  Make arrangement for any assistance the patient needs before leaving the hospital. Some patients will require more help than others and a smooth discharge that is quick and effective requires having the appropriate arrangements in place that patients need planned out ahead of time, such as a wheelchair in the room and a nurse available to wheel the patient to the parking lot and help them into a car before they leave.