Development of decision support tools for discharge
The determination that an individual is ready for discharge is a key driver of
LOS. Often this involves informal decision making based on clinical judgment
and experience. In addition, there is a need to build consensus among team
members. In this context, it is not surprising that significant variability can
occur due to individual clinicians and the makeup of the team. In our
institution, this issue is compounded by the fact that care is provided on three
distinct units.
In order to address these issues, program clinicians were engaged to identify
the specific requirements needed to safely and responsibly discharge a client to
the community. The following criteria were identified: (1) the individual no
longer requires overnight nursing, (2) there is a safe (defined by the team) and
appropriate environment in which to live, (3) required equipment has been
provided, (4) the individual (or caregiver) has the physical and/or verbal ability
to direct or manage care and (5) function can be maintained or improved
further in the community. Discharge determinants were then incorporated
into a decision tree (Figure 2). The discharge decision tree was then
implemented as a reference tool to guide discussions at weekly team
conferences and ensure consistency in discharge decision making. Clients
could be discharged before the tentative discharge date if they met the defined
discharge criteria.
For ease of use, the determination of tentative discharge dates was
automated using Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA). This
became known as the Tentative Discharge Date Calculator. A patient census
tool provided additional support and guidance during weekly team rounds.
The report provided the tentative discharge date for each patient. A reference
key was also incorporated to facilitate the coding and recording of contributing
factors when discharge criteria were not met and individual patients did not
meet their accompanying tentative discharge dates
Development of decision support tools for discharge
The determination that an individual is ready for discharge is a key driver of
LOS. Often this involves informal decision making based on clinical judgment
and experience. In addition, there is a need to build consensus among team
members. In this context, it is not surprising that significant variability can
occur due to individual clinicians and the makeup of the team. In our
institution, this issue is compounded by the fact that care is provided on three
distinct units.
In order to address these issues, program clinicians were engaged to identify
the specific requirements needed to safely and responsibly discharge a client to
the community. The following criteria were identified: (1) the individual no
longer requires overnight nursing, (2) there is a safe (defined by the team) and
appropriate environment in which to live, (3) required equipment has been
provided, (4) the individual (or caregiver) has the physical and/or verbal ability
to direct or manage care and (5) function can be maintained or improved
further in the community. Discharge determinants were then incorporated
into a decision tree (Figure 2). The discharge decision tree was then
implemented as a reference tool to guide discussions at weekly team
conferences and ensure consistency in discharge decision making. Clients
could be discharged before the tentative discharge date if they met the defined
discharge criteria.
For ease of use, the determination of tentative discharge dates was
automated using Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA). This
became known as the Tentative Discharge Date Calculator. A patient census
tool provided additional support and guidance during weekly team rounds.
The report provided the tentative discharge date for each patient. A reference
key was also incorporated to facilitate the coding and recording of contributing
factors when discharge criteria were not met and individual patients did not
meet their accompanying tentative discharge dates
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