Nurses' perceptions about the discharge process

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the nurses' perceptions regarding the discharging process. The study was conducted in both surgical and orthopaedic wards in the local general hospital. A small-scale descriptive approach was adopted in order to address the aims and objectives of the study. The participants chosen for this study were all ward managers in the surgical and orthopaedic wards of the local general hospital. These amounted to nine. Tape-recorded interviews were conducted to collect data. Open questions were analysed through the use of content analysis. The findings show that in general there exist no formal guidelines for discharging patients. Results further indicate that nurses are aware about the importance of planning for discharge but due to a number of limitations, they are not performing discharge planning as it is recommended in the literature, even though they are aware about the importance that a planned and effective discharge has on the patients' well-being. A number of recommendations are suggested which include the need for a written formal hospital policy and a large scale study on discharge planning.