Background: Patients and families report being overwhelmed by information at discharge and finding the process very stressful. This results in information misinterpreted and recalled inaccurately, which can pose significant risks to the patient. The current discharge tool being utilized with stroke patients at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) was not meeting the needs of patients and their families, hence the need to adopt a new approach.
Purpose: To develop a discharge tool using the Patient Oriented Discharge Summary (PODS) parameters to enhance patient experience at discharge and empower patients and their families to successfully manage their care in the community.
Methods: An interdisciplinary team, including patient and family advisors, modified an existing discharge tool using PODS parameters to trial with patients admitted to the Integrated Stroke Unit and Inpatient Rehabilitation Units. Feedback from patients, families, and staff were collected and common themes identified. The tool was modified to reflect the feedback received and then introduced to the rest of the organization for utilization with patients with a stroke diagnosis.
Findings: Data is still being collected at this time, but preliminary results show enhanced satisfaction on behalf of both patients and staff, and increased ability of patients/caregivers to recall medications and follow-up appointments post-discharge.
Implications: An effective discharge tool will ensure that patients and caregivers consistently leave the hospital with the information needed to successfully manage their care. Proven to be a success within the stroke population, ongoing work is taking place to adapt this discharge tool to other diagnoses.

ENSURING THE MESSAGE IS RECEIVED: ADOPTING A PATIENT ORIENTED DISCHARGE SUMMARY APPROACH TO DISCHARGE