The day of discharge is the most important day in the patient’s hospital stay. Although it may appear straightforward to the patient, there are many procedures that have to be completed before the patient can leave.
The day of discharge is usually decided 24 hours before, and the decision is made by the physician in charge of your case. He or she is the only person authorized to discharge you. All your questions should have been answered, and you should be fully aware of the outcome of your hospital stay and the type and degree of activity in which you can involve yourself.
Some hospitals have printed sheets of instructions for patients convalescing from common disorders or operations. The physician usually discusses all of these subjects with you the day before you are discharged from the hospital. After this discussion, the physician has to go to the nursing station to review your hospital record. The physician does this every day in order to see any new test results or to read the nursing reports or medicine orders.
On the day before discharge, there are additional items that require his or her attention. The order for discharge and the date of discharge have to be written on the record. The physician will have to check that a careful record has been made of the medication which the patient needs to continue taking at home and that a prescription for these drugs has been written. The physician must also add a final diagnosis or diagnoses on the face sheet of the record, and dictate a summary of all that has happened during the hospital stay. This latter piece of information may be compiled by the resident physician and may be done a few days after you have left the hospital. It is an important part of the procedure, particularly if another physician is taking over your care during convalescence at home.
