Clinical nurses' perspectives on discharge practice changes from participating in a translational research study

Area of Science:

• Nursing research
• Translational science
• Healthcare quality improvement

Background:

• Nurses' involvement in translational research studies is crucial for evaluating the impact of new interventions on care processes.
• Understanding local contexts is key to the successful adoption and sustainability of nursing interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore clinical nurses' experiences with practice change during a multi-site translational research study.
• To investigate the implementation of new protocols for hospital discharge readiness assessment.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with nurse researchers.
• Data were collected from 30 out of 33 participating hospitals in the study.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported enhanced awareness of patient discharge needs and earlier identification of issues.
• Implementation led to changes in discharge practices, increased patient/family involvement, and improved discharge processes.
• Nurses identified challenges but also recognized the benefits of participating in nursing research.

Conclusions:

• Unit-level translational research effectively engaged nurses in practice change to improve hospital discharge readiness.
• Structured discharge readiness assessments, including nurse and patient self-assessments, promote earlier awareness and better patient preparation.
• Integrating these assessments into routine care enhances interprofessional communication, facilitating timely and coordinated discharges.