The processes of hospital discharge and recovery after blunt thoracic injuries: The patient's perspective.
Edward Baker, Andreas Xyrichis, Christine Norton and 2 others
PMID 34002948WHAT IT FOUND
Patients recovering from blunt thoracic injuries described discharge as rushed and poorly coordinated.
They were often unprepared for pain, mobility and opioid safety at home, including too little medication and no weaning advice.
Key findings
01Patients described discharge as rushed and poorly coordinated, with confusing and conflicting advice from team members.
02At home, simple tasks became almost impossible, and many patients were not told how to seek help after discharge.
03Patients described opioid problems, including no discharge medication, no weaning guidance, and an overdose at home.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 14 of 92 patients who initially showed interest took part. The sample was 14 patients, and the youngest was 48 years, with many aged 60 years or above. This may miss younger patients' views. The findings are not generalizable to all patients with blunt thoracic injury. One interview lasted 12 min. All participants had extra-thoracic injuries, although these were classified as minor or moderate. The study overlapped the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and possible effects on isolation, mental well-being and physical illness were not investigated. The study describes patient experiences. It does not show that a discharge pathway or medication advice improves outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The funder named was the Research Trainees Coordinating Centre.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these discharge problems as proven causes of poor outcomes or as evidence that a new discharge pathway works. They are experiences from 14 mostly older patients in a qualitative study, not a tested intervention.