Attitudes of physicians towards target groups and content of the discharge summary: a cross-sectional analysis in Styria, Austria.
BMJ Open
; 9(12): e034857, 2019 12 17.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31852713
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
The discharge summary (DS) represents one of the most important instruments to ensure a safe patient discharge from the hospital. They sometimes have poor quality in content and often include medical jargon, which the patient and their relatives cannot easily understand. Therefore, many risks for patient safety exist. This study investigated the questions for whom the DS is and which contents are necessary to ensure a safe treatment.DESIGN:
Cross-sectional analysis.SETTING:
Styria, Austria.PARTICIPANTS:
3948 internal and external physicians were consulted.INTERVENTIONS:
An online survey consisting of 24 questions was conducted. The survey was distributed to physicians working in the province of Styria, Austria, in 2018 over a period of 6 months. MAIN OUTCOMES ANDMEASURES:
Attitudes of internal and external physicians in terms of target group, content and health literacy.RESULTS:
In total, 1060 physicians participated in the survey. The DS is considered as a communication tool among physicians (97.9%) and the patients are also indicated as addressees (73.5%). Furthermore, there is a high level of agreement that understandable information in the DS leads to fewer questions of the patients (67.9%).CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, the DS is not only seen as a document for the further treating physician but is also relevant for the patient. Incorporating the patient into their treatment at all levels may possibly strengthen the individual health literacy of the patient and their caring relatives.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Physicians
/
Attitude of Health Personnel
/
Patient Discharge Summaries
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
BMJ Open
Year:
2019
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Austria