HOSPITAL DISCHARGE

MODULE 5

Pre-intermediate Level
for S-1 Nursing Students 2008
DEFINITIONS
• Discharge (v): to allow or tell a person to
go
- Although she was sick, she discharged herself
from hospital.
• Discharge (n): the action of discharging
- The patient’s self discharge made her doctor so
worried.
• Hospital discharge (n):
A patient’s discharge from hospital
- Hospital discharge should be planned and
arranged very well.

 Treatment (n)
 Requirement (n)
 Care (n, v)
 Patient transport service
 Pack (v)
 Leave (v)
 Relatives
 Escort (n, v)
 Disabilities (n)
 sensory impairment (n)
 Report (n, v)
 Hospital bill (n)
VOCABULARY
 Perawatan
 Persyaratan
 Perawatan, merawat
 Layanan transportasi pasien
 Berkemas
 Meninggalkan
 Sanak saudara
 Pendamping, mendampingi
 Ketidakmampuan
 Luka berhub. dgn. Indra
 Laporan, melaporkan
 Tagihan rumah sakit
 Sharing ideas/discussion
• When a patient is allowed to go out of a
hospital after having some treatments
from the medical staff in the in-patient
ward, he should have some requirements
to be fulfilled:
1. key decisions have been made about
any care needed after discharge and the
source of that care agreed.
2. funding of all required resources or
accommodation after discharge has been
established.
Expressions used by the nurse
before the patient’s discharge
 You can get dressed now. The letter for your GP
will be ready in a minute.
 The patient transport service has already been
informed. Please wait.
 Do you want to have lunch before leaving?
 Do you want me to help you pack your things?
 Here is your medicine for today.
 Have you forgotten anything?
 Please come back to the out-patient ward next
week for a check up.
 When will your relatives come to pick you up?
 Wish you the best! Take care.
Guidelines and check lists for discharge procedure

1. Date of discharge
Patients and carers should be given adequate
warning of the precise date and time of leaving
hospital. There should be contingency planning
for Friday afternoon or weekend discharges.
2. Identifying requirements
Appropriate transport should be organised,
including an escort if necessary.
3. Home arrival
The home of a patient living alone should be
properly prepared for their return.
Unfortunately, this is often neglected. A
Guidelines and check lists for discharge procedure

4. Emergencies
You should be provided with a hospital contact
telephone number in case of medical difficulties
following discharge.
5. Special Needs
You and/or your carer should be provided with
precise information concerning rest, diet,
medications and follow-up appointments. This
information should be provided in a form
appropriate for people from ethnic
communities, those with learning disabilities, or
those with sensory impairment. B
Guidelines and check lists for discharge procedure
6. After Care
Support services such as domiciliary care, district nurse
or meals on wheels should be initiated or re-
established, to start on the required date. Any
necessary home aids and adaptations should be
supplied with full use instructions for you and your
carer.
7. GP
Written discharge information should be sent to your
GP within 24 hours of your leaving hospital. Advice of
all follow-up hospital appointments will also be
forwarded.
8. Home Transfer
On-going Care Plans should be provided for all patients
transferring to care homes. C
Guidelines and check lists for discharge procedure
9. Discharge to a care home
If your post-hospitalisation needs are such that it
is no longer viable for you to live at home, the
local authority may arrange for you to move to a
care home on a more permanent basis. Even if you
are assessed as having to meet the whole costs of
this yourself, the authority may still help you to
find a suitable home. In either case, it is important
to note that you have a choice.

NOTE: The patient should not feel obliged to make a

quick decision. When beds are scarce, hospitals may
try to hurry you along. If this happens, exercise your
right to choose which home you are to move to. D
Before discharge, …..……………..
The patient must report about his
discharge in admission department.
The patient must pay the hospital bills.
The hospital will give him a discharge slip
(a confirmation of the patient’s stay in the
hospital).
The hospital will also give him a letter
informing the hospital treatment for his GP
(general practitioner).
If necessary, the patient is taken to his
home with the patient transport service (a
transport slip will be prepared by the
hospital).
 Other Considerations
before Hospital Discharge
The medical staff should also discuss with
the patient about his destination after
hospital discharge:
1. His own home
(Provide him with home care if
necessary)
2. Care home
(He needs a little bit more time to
recover and going home is not the best
place for you once you are fit enough to
leave hospital. )
 Make one or two paragraphs about the
procedure of discharging a patient from
hospital

Thank God!
They send me home.

Bye bye misery!

Finally I can go home

Before your planned discharge date 1
1. Understand your diagnosis and why you were admitted
to the hospital in the first place.
2. Participate in discussions with your doctors. Pay close
attention to every word of advice your doctor says. Ask
questions if you need to.
3. If your doctor has prescribed you medication, make sure
you know what it's for, when to take it, the dosage, and
how to take it. Most pills and other oral drugs are self-
explanatory: "take 5 mg of this at 8:00am every day".
 If, however, you need to give yourself an injection (such as insulin for
diabetic patients), learn how to do it correctly. Refer to Give an
Injection and Give a Subcutaneous Injection for more information, but
it's important that you learn from your doctor first.
4. If you're given any medical equipment to use at home,
know how to use them. For example, patients given a
blood glucose monitor should know how to test for their
blood sugar.
 Especially if you've injured your leg or undergone surgery, know how
to walk on crutches or use a wheelchair.
Before your planned discharge date 2
5. Be prepared to make some lifestyle changes.
Depending on your condition, they can be drastic or
minor.
 If you're on any diet restrictions, know what you can and can't eat. Patients treated for
heart conditions may need to reduce their salt intake. If you're on warfarin therapy,
talk to your doctor about specific information regarding foods that have vitamin K. A
heart attack survivor may need to cut back on fats and cholesterol.
 Understand your physical and mental limitations. Since you're about to leave the
hospital, you may still be quite weak. Continuing to rest for a few days or weeks
instead of instantly going back to playing sports or work will help you recover better.
 Accept the fact that you may need to stop doing activities that you used to enjoy.
 6. Make sure you or your family knows how to take
care of and clean any wounds or scars you have.
Most of the time, the sterile dressings used to cover
incisions and wounds are gone by the time you leave.
 7. Prepare your transportation for that day. If the
hospital is quite a drive to your house, fill up on gas.
Make sure the vehicle is large enough to accompany any
equipment (e.g. crutches, wheelchairs).
On the day of your discharge
1. Once you've gotten the OK from your doctor/nurse, go ahead and start
packing up. Some doctors may wish to order final examinations/tests
before the actual discharge.
2. Gather all of your personal belongings and pack them . Do this once
you've been disconnected from all IV lines and machines and you're able to
move freely; otherwise ask a family member or friend to help.
3. Change out of your hospital gown (if wearing one) and into your street
clothes. Separate your clean clothes from the dirty and pack them.
4. Make sure you have all of your required medications. If you have a
prescription, get it ordered before you arrive at home. In some cases, your
doctor may provide you enough medication to last the week until you can
order your next set of drugs at a pharmacy.
5. Have the necessary medical equipment ready to take home . Depending
on where you live, you may or may not have to pay for it.
6. Return anything you've borrowed from the ward . These include things
like board games, books, and anything else used in entertainment.
7. Go through your room one last time to make sure you've got
everything.
8. Say your final goodbyes to your doctors and nurses and leave the
hospital. Before you go, you can quickly go to the gift shop and buy a card
and some flowers for your nurses. Address your card to your entire nursing
team, not one specific nurse.
 CAN I GO HOME NOW?
 Mr. Jack will discharge from hospital, he goes to the nurse
station to get information about it.

Mr. J : Good morning, nurse.

Nurse : Good morning too, Mr. Jack. May I help you?
Mr. J : Yes. According to Dr. Frank’s information, today I can
leave this hospital.
Nurse : Let me see the instruction first. Yes, you’re right. You
can go home today.
Mr. J : So, is there anything I can do before leaving?
Nurse : Yes, you have to pay the bill first.
Mr. J : My wife will pay my bill.
Nurse : OK. I’ll give the bill to your wife.
Mr. J : Thanks. Do I have medicine that I can bring home?
Nurse : Yes. Dr. Frank gave you this prescription. I hope you
can take it from dispensary. A
Mr. J : And what about my diet? Do I have special diet or not?
Nurse : Actually, there is no special diet for you.
Mr. J : Good.
Nurse : But I would like to suggest you to avoid spicy, salty
food and high cholesterol.
Mr. J : I will. And how about my activity? Can I walk quickly?
Nurse : It’s better for you to walk slowly and you must be
accompanied by someone first.
Mr. J : I understand it.
Nurse : And for medication, I think you should take it regularly.
Mr. J : What time should I take it?
Nurse : The best time to take it is at 8 am, 1 pm, and 7 pm.
Mr. J : Thanks. Is there anything else I should do?
Nurse : Yes, I suggest you to come to this hospital for checking
up your condition regularly.
Mr. J : How many times in a week should I come?
Nurse : Come here once a week.
Mr. J
Nurse
: OK, nurse. I promise I’ll check up my condition regularly.
: Good
B
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
 Take enough rest (Take a rest sufficiently).
 Don’t do any heavy activities.
 Don’t eat high-fat food
 Don’t eat high-sugar food
 Consume low-calorie food
 Don’t forget to take your medicines
regularly.
 Visit us next week for a check up.
 THANKS for your attention

Practice makes perfect!