Improving Hospital Throughput With a Hospitalist Discharge Nurse Practitioner

Discharge from acute hospitalization can be complex. Streamlining this process to ensure efficient and safe transitions can help mitigate barriers to discharge. This article describes the implementation of the discharge nurse practitioner (DCNP) role and the integral role of the interprofessional team in this process. The evaluation of the DCNP and the collaborative efforts of the interprofessional team, which included 1370 patients, demonstrated a significant improvement in hospital throughput. Notably, 45% of patients were discharged within 2 hours of the order being written, with 45% of the accuracy of patient discharge, and the length of stay was reduced by 0.5 days. This positive impact on hospital throughput underscores the value and importance of the interprofessional team in the discharge process.