Timely Discharge of Clinically Eligible Patients in the Postpartum Setting

Purpose for the program: The purpose of this poster is to describe the creation and use of an electronic discharge board in the post-partum setting.

Proposed change: Discharge from the mother infant unit involved inadequate management of multi-department "tasks". Frequent delays occured resulting from last minute discovery of incomplete "tasks". The development of an electronic discharge board displays the progression and tasks involved when discharging the couplet. The electronic discharge board clearly and efficiently communicates the numerous multi-departmental tasks required to discharge a mother-baby couplet. Utilization of this visual management tool by nurses and physicians enhances the discharge management process which allows for a more efficient patient flow.

Implementation, outcomes and evaluation: Development of the electronic discharge was multi-faceted and involved numerous disciplines and staff. Through the creation of the board, baseline findings were obtained to analyze average discharge times (after 2pm), contributing factors and how those factors could be mitigated in order to improve discharge times. It was identified that factors such as circumcision and viewing of teaching videos were delaying discharge. These tasks were re-prioritized to happen earlier in the hospital course instead of waiting until the day of discharge. Results at the one month interval showed an earlier discharge time (115pm) however, sustainment of discharges before the 2pm mark has been difficult to achieve. Current review of data is in process in order to identify areas for improvement.

Implications for nursing practice: Recognized by Joint Commission as "Best Practice" during July 2010 survey. Integration of  the electronic discharge board in other patient care areas throughout the hospital may streamline the discharge process.

Keywords: electronic discharge board, timely discharge, simple discharge, discharge management