Co-Producing Personalised Discharge Planning: Developing a Toolkit to Improve Caregiver Involvement in Hospital...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Patient and caregiver support
• Implementation science

Background:

• Informal caregivers are crucial for hospital-to-home transitions but often excluded from discharge planning.
• This exclusion leads to unprepared caregivers, potential complications, and patient distress.
• A co-designed toolkit was developed to facilitate communication between hospital staff and informal caregivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To co-design a personalized discharge planning toolkit with informal caregivers and healthcare professionals.
• To improve caregiver preparedness and support during patient transitions from hospital to home.
• To address the gap in discharge planning for informal caregivers.

Main Methods:

• Participatory action research (PAR) approach with four co-design workshops.
• Involved 22 stakeholders: informal caregivers, healthcare professionals, and voluntary sector representatives.
• Guided by Normalisation Process Theory, I-STEM, and Transitions Theory; data analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and collaborative synthesis.

Main Results:

• Stakeholders identified a need for a simple, conversation-based tool for caregivers to articulate needs and gain confidence.
• The toolkit includes five co-produced tools for personalized, caregiver-inclusive discharge planning.
• Key principles emphasized respectful dialogue, a named contact, and clear post-discharge support, though infrastructure variations pose implementation barriers.

Conclusions:

• A co-designed toolkit can improve transitional care and caregiver preparedness.
• Successful integration into practice requires organizational support, digital readiness, and attention to equity.
• The study highlights the value of involving patients and caregivers in developing healthcare interventions.