Twelve Tips for Preparing a Surgical Discharge Summary: Enabling a Safe Discharge

Abstract

The surgical discharge summary allows the perioperative care team to summarize a recent hospitalization and relay important information to a variety of invested parties including other healthcare providers, outpatient caregivers, and the surgical patient. The inpatient care team can promote a smooth transition of care and empower outpatient providers and the patient to foster a confident progression through recovery. We describe twelve tips for a streamlined, successful discharge summary geared towards the surgical intern. A successful surgical discharge summary begins with patient and caregiver collaboration, communication and teamwork, and culminates with concise documentation. These tips reflect a review of the current literature and rely on the clinical expertise of an interdisciplinary surgical team. Our aim is to empower surgical educators and trainees to understand the complexity of discharge planning, and to improve the efficiency with which it can be completed and the quality of the discharge process at their training hospitals