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Discharge Checklist To Enhance Rn Role And Prevent Unnecessary Readmissions, Rachel Keene

Rachel Keene, RN, MSN

Discharge is included in every patient's plan of care. It is considered a basic procedure but, without a clear definition of each provider's responsibilities during discharge, duplication of tasks and errors of omission occur (Byrnes et al., 2009; Gawande, 2009). On a medical unit in a Silicon Valley hospital, RNs (Registered Nurse) are often inundated with auxiliary tasks in the hours before discharge. This is partly due to their proximity to the patient, but is mainly from the lack of a standard RN discharge procedure. Such norms jeopardize the RN's ability to provide care and can increase hospital readmissions (Jack …