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Pediatric primary care providers' perspectives regarding hospital discharge communication: a mixed methods analysis

JoAnna K Leyenaar1, Lora Bergert2, Leah A Mallory3

  • 1Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.

Academic Pediatrics
|December 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) reported more complete discharge communication from general hospitals than freestanding children's hospitals. This highlights opportunities for improving care coordination and patient safety.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric hospital medicine
  • Healthcare communication
  • Primary care

Background:

  • Effective inpatient-outpatient communication is crucial for preventing adverse events during hospital discharge.
  • Limited pediatric literature defines optimal discharge communication strategies for freestanding children's hospitals and general hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the association between pediatric primary care providers' (PCPs) reported receipt of discharge communication and referral hospital type (freestanding children's vs. general hospitals).
  • To describe PCPs' perspectives on effective discharge communication strategies and identify areas for improvement.

Main Methods:

  • A national questionnaire survey was administered to 201 PCPs referring to 16 pediatric hospital medicine programs.
  • Multivariable models analyzed associations between referral hospital type and discharge communication receipt/completeness.
  • Qualitative content analysis of open-ended responses identified themes related to effective communication strategies.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference was found in the overall receipt of discharge communication based on hospital type.
  • PCPs referring to general hospitals reported significantly more complete discharge communication compared to those referring to freestanding children's hospitals.
  • Key themes for effective communication included structured communication, direct personal contact, reliability, timeliness, and post-discharge care coordination.

Conclusions:

  • Significant differences exist in PCP experiences with discharge communication between general and freestanding children's hospitals.
  • Findings provide valuable data for quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing pediatric discharge communication and care continuity.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrencollaborativedischarge communicationmedical hometransitions of care

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