Reducing hospital readmissions of postoperative patients with the martin postoperative discharge screening tool

Hospital readmission for postoperative complications, a safety and quality issue for nurse leaders, occurs with 20% of postoperative Medicare patients and costs $15 billion annually. Nurse leaders should evaluate readmission rates for postoperative complications and evaluate ways to reduce the incidence. The Martin Postoperative Discharge Screening Tool was developed to address this vulnerable population and guide clinical staff to develop interventions to improve the readiness of identified patients for discharge. Preliminary results of the project are presented in this article.