Implementing a discharge process for patients undergoing elective surgery: Rapid review.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Healthcare Management
• Surgical Patient Care

Background:

• Hospital discharge is a critical, vulnerable phase of patient care.
• Inadequate discharge planning leads to increased readmissions, costs, and reduced patient recovery.
• Optimizing discharge processes can enhance patient outcomes and reduce healthcare expenses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify technology-based interventions for safe and timely elective surgery discharge.
• To describe barriers and facilitators to implementing these interventions.
• To assess patient satisfaction with technology-enabled discharge processes.

Main Methods:

• Rapid review adhering to a systematic framework.
• Searched multiple databases (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov).
• Included English-language studies published between 2015 and 2021.

Main Results:

• Eleven studies were included, primarily featuring machine-learning interventions.
• Effective leadership, teamwork, and communication facilitated implementation.
• Barriers included lack of leadership support, poor documentation, resistance to change, and financial/logistical issues.
• Patient involvement was reported in only one study; patient satisfaction was not evaluated.

Conclusions:

• Key factors supporting technology-based interventions for safe, timely surgical discharge were identified.
• Nurses are crucial for information provision and the development/implementation of discharge processes.
• Further research is needed to evaluate patient satisfaction with these technologies.