Using the Engaging Parents in Education for Discharge (ePED) iPad Application to Improve Parent Discharge Experience.

The study used a quasi-experimental design rather than randomization, and the ePED unit was a surgical unit while the comparison unit was a medical unit. The sample came from one hospital and two units, so results may not apply to other settings. Parent ratings were very high in both groups. This ceiling may limit the size of any measurable improvement. The care coordination measure was completed before discharge, not after the family had experienced the transition home. Nurse experience and other nurse characteristics were not collected, so differences in nurse skill may have influenced ratings. Comparison nurses were trained to collect parent experience data, which may have increased their awareness of discharge teaching. The assigned nurse delivered the teaching, so parent ratings may reflect that nurse rather than the app alone. The ePED group also involved nurse training, so the app's effect cannot be separated from the training. The study design did not allow evaluation of the app's effect on readmissions because the units had different patient populations and readmission rates. Children with chronic conditions had a broad range of diagnoses and reasons for admission.

Do not read the 55% lower chance of readmission as proof that ePED prevents readmissions. It came from a secondary analysis in the ePED unit only, the units differed in patient type, and care coordination did not improve.