AHRQ Patient Safety Network ► Safely Home: What Happens When People Leave Hospital Care Settings?

AHRQ Patient Safety Network





Safely Home: What Happens When People Leave Hospital Care Settings?

London, UK: Healthwatch England; July 2015.

Discharges are vulnerable periods for patients, often due to miscommunication, delays, and lack of patient-centeredness. This report reviews experiences of more than 3000 patients in England regarding the effects of poor discharge. The results, which focus on older and homeless patients (given the increased potential for negative clinical consequences in these populations), highlights several practices that can improve the safety of hospital discharges.

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