Intensive care discharge summaries for general practice staff: a focus group study

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Patient Discharge

Background:

• Post-hospital discharge support for patients and relatives is a UK research priority.
• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) discharge summaries are vital for General Practitioner (GP) coordination of ongoing care.
• Evidence guiding best practices for ICU discharge summaries is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand the information needs of GP staff supporting former ICU patients and families.
• To identify barriers and facilitators in ICU-to-primary care information transfer.
• To improve continuity of care after ICU discharge.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative exploratory study across UK practices.
• Focus groups and interviews with former ICU patients, relatives, and GP staff.
• Thematic analysis of qualitative data and demographic questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Varied discharge information experiences and unclear responsibilities between hospital and primary care.
• Delayed/poor communication, limited GP critical care contact, and lack of knowledge impacted continuity of care.
• Time pressures were a key barrier; information technology a facilitator.

Conclusions:

• Coordinated, comprehensive rehabilitation requires timely and relevant ICU-primary care discharge information.
• Health professionals need better understanding of critical illness impacts.
• Patient and family inclusion in information sharing is essential.