Nurses\u27 Knowledge, Confidence, and Compliance With an Ambulatory Surgery Discharge Checklist

Abstract

Background: Preventable errors in healthcare are fueling the growth of patient safety cultures. Checklists have been found to increase discharge accuracy and efficiency and detection of patient safety concerns before discharge. Local Problem: Oversight errors can be traced back to poor communication or outdated workflows. Ad hoc communication and knowledge of physician preferences are no longer sufficient for ensuring complete discharge instructions. Methods & Interventions: A discharge checklist was developed and implemented in an ambulatory surgery department to ensure discharge instructions were complete and accurate. Nurses completed a pre and 3-month post-checklist questionnaire assessing their knowledge and confidence in the discharge process. Compliance was also measured. Results: A statistically significant increase was noted in nurses’ knowledge (p \u3c .001) and confidence (p \u3c .001). Compliance varied with an average of 52%. Conclusions: The discharge checklist added a predictable structured communication process and increased the quality of discharge instructions for patients