The correlation between the need for continuing care services, influencing factors, and social support and discharge readiness among discharged patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in China: A cross-sectional study

Objective: To understand the relationship between the need for continuing care services and influencing factors, social support, readiness for discharge among discharged pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 170 patients from a database of discharged patients with PTB from September 2023 to January 2024. A demographic and disease characteristics questionnaire, continuing care services basic modality questionnaire, continuing care services need questionnaire, the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS) were used for this investigation. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the associated factors. Results: The mean total score for the need for continuing care services among patients with PTB discharged from the hospital was (121.61 +/- 22.98). The dimension with the highest score was health education guidance need. Compared to the the original hospital medical personnel, the primary source of care information after discharge was the local medical institutions was statistically significant and negatively correlated with continuing care service need (P = 0.005). Social support was positively associated with need for continuing care services (P = 0.042). Conclusion: Discharged PTB patients had a high degree of continuing care service need. Factors influencing the need for continuing care services are the primary source of care information after discharge was the local medical institutions, the social support. Medical staff need to provide targeted continuing care services based on relevant influencing factors to meet the discharge needs of patients.