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Short length of stay and the discharge process: Preparing breast cancer patients appropriately

Short length of stay and the discharge process: Preparing breast cancer patients appropriately

Authors :
Ute Karbach
Susan Lee
Marina Nowak
Sophie E. Groß
Holger Pfaff
Source :
Patient Education and Counseling. 102:2318-2324
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2019.

Abstract

Objective Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, increasing the relevance of an efficient and successful care process. As length of stay (LOS) in the hospital decreases, patients’ satisfaction with the LOS varies. We hypothesize that successful discharge planning can improve this evaluation. Methods Data of 4,390 female breast cancer patients from a cross-sectional survey was analyzed. The data was collected in 2017 in 86 German hospitals. Logistic regressions were used to test hypotheses. Results The majority of included patients rated their LOS as appropriate. However, patients who felt better prepared for discharge were less likely to rate their stay as too short. A longer stay in the hospital further decreased this likelihood. The effect of LOS was moderated by patient experiences with preparation for discharge. Conclusion As hospital LOS decreases, one challenge in allowing patients to feel sufficiently informed and ready to go home is the reduced time for face-to-face consultations. Our results indicate, however, that a strong and thorough discharge planning makes the actual number of days for LOS irrelevant for patient’s rating of LOS. Practice Implications The study results underscore the importance of ensuring the quality and thoroughness of the discharge process.

Details

ISSN :
07383991
Volume :
102
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Patient Education and Counseling
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....586eec5e41811c4d01e6a16eec2f7e95
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2019.08.012