Implementation of the postdischarge follow-up call in the patient care units

The Telephone Call Back System was implemented from October 1989 in the Inpatient and Ambulatory Care Units as a postdischarge follow-up and as an evaluation of the patients' hospital experience. Nurses called patients discharged from the Ambulatory Care Unit within 24 hours postdischarge and within 24-48 hours from the Inpatient Unit. Questions asked included present physical status, ocular discomfort, availability of assistance at home, and if there were any questions and concerns. For the year 1990, 77 percent of the patients discharged from the Ambulatory Care Unit were called and 71 percent were contacted. From the Inpatient Unit, 89 percent were called and 68 percent were contacted. Patient response required the following nursing interventions: review of discharge instructions, referral to an ophthalmologist and/or an internist, referral to a patient representative/social worker, reassurance on ocular signs and symptoms consistent with a normal postsurgical period, and patient teaching other than ophthalmic care. Patients discharged from the Inpatient Unit required more nursing intervention than patients discharged from the Ambulatory Care Unit. More than 99% of the patients discharged in both patient care units were satisfied with their hospital care. These results indicate the importance of postdischarge follow-up in the continuity of health care and in the transition from the health care institution to the home setting.