Current Status and Associated Factors of Discharge Readiness in Ambulatory-Surgery Patients Based on Transition Theory: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Jing Zhang, Xiaoli Xing, Xiaodan Xia and 4 others
PMID 42249730WHAT IT FOUND
Most ambulatory surgery patients had moderate discharge readiness, but 17% were unprepared.
Quality of discharge teaching was the strongest factor linked to readiness. Older age, living alone, and lower health literacy were associated with lower readiness.
Key findings
01The mean discharge readiness score indicated a moderate level, with 17.0% of patients showing low readiness.
02Quality of discharge teaching was the strongest independent factor associated with discharge readiness, followed by surgical specialty and health literacy.
03Patients aged 75–89 and 45–59 had lower discharge readiness than those aged 18–44, and those living alone had lower readiness than those not living alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Single-centre study with convenience sampling, limiting generalisability. Cross-sectional design identifies associations but cannot prove causality. Discharge readiness and teaching quality were measured at the same time point, raising the possibility of common-method bias or reverse causality. Self-reported data may be subject to recall or social desirability bias.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by various medical college and provincial health projects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving discharge teaching quality will directly cause higher readiness. The study is cross-sectional and both variables were self-reported at the same time, so the association could be due to common-method bias or the possibility that patients who feel more ready perceive the teaching as better.