Discharge phone calls....

[mwboswell]

Would like to hear from Emergency Department nurses who are involved personally in doing "discharge phone calls" to their patients.

I would like to know how it's going.

Specifically:

1) What was the hardest thing about getting started?

2) What do you feel are positive outcomes of doing this?

Thanks!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I'm an APN in a community ER (37,000 visits/year). Call backs are done only on patients where the provider feels there is a need: ie someone who is pretty sick but doesn't need to be admitted but provider wants to ensure the pt is doing okay the next day. There are no routinely scheduled call backs.

Worked for 10 years in level one trauma center (65,000 visits/year) and no callbacks there either unless directed by provider.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

This community ER (41,000/yr) only does callbacks as described by TraumaRUs above ... if the patient really warrants being checked up on 24-48 hrs. later, or to communicate lab studies such as wound cultures that were not resulted before discharge. Considering that this ER discharges 80% of patients seen, calling everyone would be unmanageable.