775 - If you tell them, will they know? Assessing family awareness of discharge goals
Monday, May 1, 2023
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET
Poster Number: 775 Publication Number: 775.416
Madeleine Nowak, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, WI, United States; Kelly Lynch, Medical College of Wisconsin, Muskego, WI, United States; Amanda Rogers, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
Medical Student Medical College of Wisconsin Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States
Background: Clear communication with families regarding discharge planning is essential for effective transitions of care. Hospital oversight bodies require families be included in discharge planning and lack of family preparedness is a frequent reason for discharge delay. Local efforts were in place to increase discharge goal (DG) discussions during Patient and Family Centered Rounds (PFCR), but the impact this has on family awareness of DG was unknown.
Objective: We sought to understand family awareness of DG, the association between discussing DG during PFCR and family awareness of DG, and family input regarding content to include in DG discussions.
Design/Methods: We conducted a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative study at a tertiary pediatric academic center. Study team members observed PFCR to determine if DG were discussed. Following PFCR, families completed surveys regarding the level of importance of knowing their child’s DG and their current level of awareness of DG. Families participated in semi-structured interviews regarding what information regarding DG is most high yield to discuss. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi square test. Qualitative questions were analyzed by content analysis with two team members participated in an iterative process of coding and analyzing data.
Results: We observed PFCR for and conducted interviews of 100 families. Teams discussed DG during 80% of observed PFCR. 94% of surveyed families reported that it was extremely important to be aware of DG while 40% reported being extremely aware of DG. No difference was seen in family awareness of DG based on if DG were discussion during PFCR (p=0.9). Themes identified from family interviews on high yield DG content to discuss were divided into pre discharge content (clearly understandable/specific DG and discharge timeline) and post discharge content (instructions for home care and anticipatory guidance for who/when to call).
Conclusion(s): Having an increased awareness of DG is extremely important to families. Despite frequent discussion of DG on PFCR, there is a need to further increase family awareness of DG. Next steps include implementing a structured template for DG discussions during PFCR to address high yield content identified from family interviews and assessing the impact that has on family awareness of DG, discharge efficiency, and readmission rates.
.jpg "Madeleine Nowak, BS (she/her/hers) photo")