Efficacy of Utilizing a Discharge Checklist at a Northern California Hospital

Standardization of patient discharges by utilizing a discharge checklist would address discharge barriers, improve discharge times, enhance communication among the multidisciplinary team, and improve efficiency of care. A 5-week pilot, which was a quality improvement study, explored whether the utilization of a discharge checklist would improve discharge times and communication among the multidisciplinary team. This study was conducted in a northern California county hospital, on 2 medical- surgical units, with a participating physician team, case managers, and approximately 150 medical- surgical registered nurses. The study yielded results of improved discharge times by 1 hour, and improved efficiency of care by discharging an additional 100 patients. The limitations and feasibility concerns include the short time frame of the study, staff compliance, staff buy-in, staffing shortages, and staff burn out. Further studies would benefit from prioritizing an extended duration for the study to allow opportunities for improved adherence and observe more improved outcomes. Standardizing a discharge checklist would yield improved outcomes to patients and healthcare professionals