What Is Essential for Older People With Multi-Morbidity During Discharge Planning? A Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Discharge planning is critical for older adults with multi-morbidity to manage home healthcare.
• Understanding patient perspectives ensures essential needs are met during discharge planning.
• This study focuses on the essential elements of discharge planning for older individuals in two medical hospital departments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the essential components of discharge planning from the perspective of older patients with multi-morbidity.
• To identify key needs and challenges faced by older adults during the discharge process from medical departments.

Main Methods:

• A hermeneutic approach based on Gadamerian philosophy was employed.
• Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted across two medical departments.
• Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze transcribed audio recordings of the interviews.

Main Results:

• Two primary themes emerged from the analysis: practical discharge preparation and personal discharge preparation.
• Older patients emphasized the importance of receiving health-related information.
• Direct personal contact with healthcare professionals was identified as a crucial element.

Conclusions:

• Older individuals require both health information and personal interaction with healthcare professionals for effective discharge.
• Insufficient contact with healthcare providers and inadequate practical preparation impede the fulfillment of these needs.
• Future discharge planning strategies must integrate personal needs of older patients within the existing medical department healthcare environment.