Article

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate simple, measurable indicators of optimal organizational
procedures for the hospital-to-home discharge of dependent patients.
METHOD: All the general practitioners (GPs) in the Maine-et-Loire county of
France were sent a questionnaire asking them to rank the three main criteria
(from the most important to the least significant) from a list of 14. We analyzed
the median ranking for each item and identified the most important items in terms
of their relative frequency. RESULTS: The response rate was 10.77% (104 out of
966). Four criteria had a median score over 9: contact with the GP prior to
discharge, informing the GP of the discharge date, training for the patient and
his/her family in activities of daily living and providing a list of people to be
contacted in the event of a problem at home. Respite hospitalization (in the
event of difficulties at home) was cited as one of the three most relevant
criteria. DISCUSSION-CONCLUSION: The criteria highlighted by the GPs were not
highly specific for the discharge of a dependent patient. However, it would be
interesting to extend this study by interviewing other stakeholders and
determining whether these criteria indeed improve the organization of
hospital-to-home discharge.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Langue : ANGLAIS ; FRANCAIS