Discharge teaching, readiness for hospital discharge and post‐discharge outcomes in cataract patients: A structural equation model analysis

Abstract

Aim To explore the interaction mechanism of cataract patients’ quality of discharge teaching, discharge readiness and post‐discharge outcomes using structural equation model analysis. Background The quality of discharge teaching and discharge readiness are two indicators used to evaluate the quality of hospital discharge services. Little research has been done on the quality of discharge teaching, discharge readiness and post‐discharge outcomes in cataract patients, especially in China. Methods Four questionnaires were administered to 192 patients, and the results were analysed using Spearman's correlation and structural equation model. Results The statistical analysis showed low‐to‐moderate correlations among the quality of discharge teaching, discharge readiness and post‐discharge outcome variables; discharge readiness played an intermediary role in the interaction mechanism of the three variables. Conclusion The cataract patients demonstrated satisfactory quality of discharge teaching, discharge readiness and post‐discharge outcomes. Quality of discharge teaching affected post‐discharge outcomes through the intermediary role of discharge readiness. Implications for Nursing Management Nursing managers should recognize the importance of discharge services, pay more attention to improve the quality of discharge teaching and strengthen discharge readiness to prevent the risks of post‐discharge complications and readmission.

Discharge teaching, patient-reported discharge readiness and postsurgical outcomes in gynecologic patients undergoing day surgery: a generalized estimating equation

“…The item median score of the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale for gynecological patients who underwent day surgery was 9.81, higher than previous studies on parents of hospitalized children, postpartum women, cataract patients and general surgical patients [ 14 , 15 , 22 , 25 , 36 ]. The score of “Content needed” was slightly higher than the score of “Content received”, but the difference in these two variables was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), which was inconsistent with previous studies of postpartum women and cataract patients [ 24 , 25 ]. These results reflected that the content that participants received about discharge almost met their needs.…”

“…No demographic or clinical characteristics of participants were statistically significant in generalized estimating equations. These findings were partly consistent with a previous study on cataract patients, in which “Content needed” and “Delivery” both affected the patient’s postsurgical outcomes through the mediating effect of Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale [ 24 ]. These findings indicated that the higher the level of skills and effects of discharge teaching of doctors and nurses, the better the postsurgical outcomes in our patient population.…”

“…Interestingly, for the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, the item median score was 8.82, and 98.8% of the participants stated they were ready for discharge, which was higher than that in previous studies of other populations [ 24 , 25 , 36 , 37 ]. One reason might be the relatively young age of our participants.…”

“…The Cronbach’s α coefficient for the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale was 0.93 [ 18 ]. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of the Chinese version was 0.97 [ 35 ] and 0.89, 0.92, 0.90, and 0.85 for the 4 dimensions [ 24 ]. The Chinese version was authorized by the original authors [ 35 ].…”

“…Patient-reported discharge readiness has been posited as a potential predictor of postdischarge outcomes [ 21 ]. Moreover, readiness for hospital discharge was verified to be related to quality of discharge teaching and hospital readmission, and readiness for hospital discharge played an intermediary role in the interaction mechanism of the three variables [ 22 – 24 ]. Previous studies investigated the readiness for hospital discharge for parents of hospitalized children, postpartum women, general surgical patients and cataract patients [ 14 , 22 , 23 , 25 ], but little research focused on patients who underwent day gynecologic surgery.…”