Discharge Handbook for Caregivers – Multi-Disciplinary Reference to Providing a Seamless Transition From Hospital to Outpatient Setting

In an era of health care cost containment and growing mandates for patient safety initiatives, discharge planning (DP) has become a vital component in the timely and safe transition from hospital care to homecare. Additionally, patients with complex medical needs are receiving more care at home which requires in-depth training of care providers. Finding an educational discharge tool that is multi-disciplinary, user friendly, and adaptable to multiple learning styles is a challenge, therefore we created the The PBMT Discharge Handbook for Caregivers which improves the coordination and education of discharge teaching by hospital staff. The handbook standardizes nomenclature and course content, includes visual examples, and provides a single resource tool for reference by home care providers. This process improves understanding, increases knowledge retention, and diminishes errors by home care providers.The need for successful discharge education is imperative to the patients on the Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant (PBMT) Program. Parents and caregivers are responsible for independent home care including administering IV meds, changing and flushing central venous lines, and performing sterile central venous line dressings. Results from a 2007 unit survey, evaluating a need for discharge criteria (Semmel, Stafford, et al), identified a need for more written instructions to supplement the “hands on” teaching. The PBMT Discharge Handbook for Caregivers was created to be a resource for the entire nursing and medical team to use and reference when providing discharge education. The handbook includes information on essential areas of discharge such as diet and food safety, clinic information, and central line maintenance. The handbook is used at the bedside for the nurses to provide visual aids when teaching hands on tasks to caregivers. Furthermore, it is used during organized group discharge classes to allow for open discussion and feedback.The PBMT Discharge Handbook for Caregivers is an effective tool that caters to different learning styles at an elementary learning level. Moreover, it is a single source that the entire team can reference to ensure that the same quality information is being given which helps in empowering the caregiver to deliver appropriate and safe care in the home setting. In an era of health care cost containment and growing mandates for patient safety initiatives, discharge planning (DP) has become a vital component in the timely and safe transition from hospital care to homecare. Additionally, patients with complex medical needs are receiving more care at home which requires in-depth training of care providers. Finding an educational discharge tool that is multi-disciplinary, user friendly, and adaptable to multiple learning styles is a challenge, therefore we created the The PBMT Discharge Handbook for Caregivers which improves the coordination and education of discharge teaching by hospital staff. The handbook standardizes nomenclature and course content, includes visual examples, and provides a single resource tool for reference by home care providers. This process improves understanding, increases knowledge retention, and diminishes errors by home care providers. The need for successful discharge education is imperative to the patients on the Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant (PBMT) Program. Parents and caregivers are responsible for independent home care including administering IV meds, changing and flushing central venous lines, and performing sterile central venous line dressings. Results from a 2007 unit survey, evaluating a need for discharge criteria (Semmel, Stafford, et al), identified a need for more written instructions to supplement the “hands on” teaching. The PBMT Discharge Handbook for Caregivers was created to be a resource for the entire nursing and medical team to use and reference when providing discharge education. The handbook includes information on essential areas of discharge such as diet and food safety, clinic information, and central line maintenance. The handbook is used at the bedside for the nurses to provide visual aids when teaching hands on tasks to caregivers. Furthermore, it is used during organized group discharge classes to allow for open discussion and feedback. The PBMT Discharge Handbook for Caregivers is an effective tool that caters to different learning styles at an elementary learning level. Moreover, it is a single source that the entire team can reference to ensure that the same quality information is being given which helps in empowering the caregiver to deliver appropriate and safe care in the home setting.