A Performance Improvement Initiative for Implementing an Evidence-Based Discharge Bundle for Lung Transplant...

Lung transplant recipients have high hospital readmission rates. Readmissions are costly to institutions and associated with higher mortality among patients within the first year of transplant. Strong evidence indicates that in hospitalized patients, the use of discharge bundles results in lower 30-day hospital readmission rates.

A lung transplant team at a Midwest academic medical center performs 40 to 50 lung transplants annually and provides comprehensive, ongoing care for approximately 300 lung transplant recipients. The objective of this quality improvement project was development and implementation of an evidence-based discharge bundle (standardized patient discharge process) to reduce 30-day hospital readmission rates for this patient population.

A gap analysis was performed using focus groups to identify strategies to reduce readmissions. Using that data, a standardized discharge bundle was developed in collaboration with the transplant team.

The discharge bundle included improvements in discharge planning, scripted communication methods between team members, a standardized medication template for patient education, standardized follow-up appointment process, and increased telephone calls to the patient after discharge.

The primary outcome measured was the monthly 30-day hospital readmission rate of facility lung transplant recipients from June through August of 2019 as compared to the same time period in 2018. The readmission rate did not change during the evaluation period. Team members reported improved communication, efficiency, and improved standardization of follow-up care using the discharge bundle.

Implementing a discharge bundle for lung transplant recipients resulted in improved staff satisfaction with the discharge process.