CMS has developed a free, downloadable discharge planning checklist for patients preparing to leave a hospital or other healthcare setting.
"Your Discharge Planning Checklist" is a six-page pamphlet which asks patients to answer more than a dozen questions including:
- Ask where you will get care after discharge.
- Ask about problems to watch for and what to do about them.
- Ask if you will need medical equipment.
- Ask the staff to show you and your caregiver any other tasks that require special skills like changing a bandage or giving a shot.
The pamphlet also allocates a space for noting medications and upcoming appointments.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
Download the patient discharge planning checklist (pdf) for use in your facility.
Note: View our database providing 90-plus reports that link to free, downloadable and adaptable tools for use in surgery centers, hospitals and other organizations by clicking here.
Related Articles on Patient Discharge:
Discharge One Day After Gastric Bypass Linked to Higher Mortality
Physicians Fall Short in Delivering Post-Discharge Instructions to ED Patients, Research Suggests