Postoperative hospital discharge readiness of elderly patients: A cross-sectional study

The aim of this study is to evaluate the readiness of elderly patients for discharge from the hospital after surgery.

This study is of a descriptive cross-sectional design and was reported using The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) framework.

The study was conducted between October 2024 and May 2025 with 283 patients aged 65 and over in the adult surgical clinics of a university hospital. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form and the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-Short Form. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of the data, and Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Bonferroni tests were used for nonparametric comparisons.

Although 78.4% of patients reported receiving sufficient information regarding discharge and 76.3% felt ready for discharge, only 56.5% were determined to be ready according to the scale. The mean total score of the Scale was found to be 7.20±1.87; the lowest score was in the coping ability subscale, and the highest score in the expected support subscale. Education level and receiving sufficient information about discharge statistically significantly affected the level of readiness for discharge. Total and all subscale scores of the scale differed significantly across surgical clinics (p < 0.001).

This study demonstrates that readiness for discharge in elderly surgical patients cannot be determined solely by subjective perceptions but requires structured, multidimensional assessment. Nursing-led interventions focused on strengthening coping skills and delivering systematic discharge education play a critical role in promoting safe, effective, and sustainable care transitions in clinical practice.