When physical therapy Dyer IN is part of your follow-up care
Because there is no universal system for the hospital discharge process, it is vitally important that you know what what to ask for when going through the process. As a general rule, patients are being released from the hospital earlier in the recovery process than before, so the discharge procedure becomes even more critical. Research has shown that good discharge planning and follow-up is likely to improve the patient’s outcome. This includes improved health, avoiding readmission to the hospital, and decreased healthcare costs.
If your patient is being released to a nursing or rehabilitation facility, effective discharge planning is needed to ensure continuity of care, define the status of the patient’s health and abilities, and review medications and their administration. There are some surprisingly simple steps that can be taken to improve the quality of the transition from hospital to nursing or rehabilitation center. This includes having the summary of care sent to the patient’s regular physician which leads to more effective follow-up care. Additionally, phone calls from doctors and nurses involved in the patient’s hospital care within two days after discharge has also been shown to help avoid problems and improve care in the new placement.
The patient’s family or caregiver must play a prominent role in the discharge and transition from hospital to nursing care facility. If the recommended steps of the process above are not followed, it is your right and responsibility to ask for them. As family members you are part of the healthcare team, and your loved one’s healing is dependent on receiving the care that she needs in the new facility. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask for what you need; that reduces stress, and reduced stress is beneficial to the healing process. Find out more about physical therapy Dyer IN