Patient information at discharge--a study of a combined approach

Abstract

Objective: To describe patients' perceptions of a new information procedure related to going home after urological surgery. This procedure, developed in an action research project, included a discharge talk with the nurse and an information booklet for the patients to keep.

Methods: A convenience sample of 99 patients responded to a survey sent home 1 week after discharge (return 78.6%). The Patient Information and Nurse Interaction Scale (PINI) was used for data collection.

Results: The sample were mostly male (81%), older (mean 71.9 years), and hospitalised on average less than 4 days. Patients who got the booklet had significantly more favourable perceptions on information received (p<0.05) on 11 of 21 items, and 91% said they would not have managed very well at home without it.

Conclusion: The patients who received the booklet knew more about what might happen to them, were less uncertain and had fewer concerns when going home.

Practice implications: The combination of standardised written information and a talk with the nurse where patients participated in individualising the information appears to have had a significant impact on self-management at home.