Implementation of a discharge liaison to improve discharge latency: a quality improvement project

Excessive delays in hospital discharge increase costs and expose patients to risks, including increases in healthcare-associated infection rates, pressure injuries, and falls. Approximately 93.3% of patients at a community hospital stayed for longer than 150 minutes after discharge order entry. To address this issue, a nurse discharge liaison role was implemented as a quality improvement project. After implementation, only 22.9% of patients remained in hospital for over 150 minutes, an improvement of 70.5%.