Why is it important?
Planning for a patient’s discharge is a key aspect of effective care.
Patients tell us that communication, co-ordination and continuity are essential not just to their care, but also to their ability to self-manage their condition well.1
Results from the 2023 IBD Patient Survey show a significant gap between what patients report receiving and what services believe they provide. Fewer than half of adults felt they were given clear discharge information, with 42% saying they did not receive adequate explanations about their prescribed medications, including potential side effects. In addition, 31% of adults reported not knowing who to contact if they had concerns after leaving hospital. This contrasts sharply with the 86% of IBD services that reported routinely counselling patients about their discharge medications, including specialist treatments. Together, these findings highlight a clear disconnect between the discharge communication offered by services and how well that information is understood, retained, or perceived by adults with IBD.
It’s important that:
- Patients have clear, written information about follow up care (and the number/person to contact in the event of clinical urgency) before discharge from the ward.
- The ward pharmacy team start discharge planning early, under the supervision of the expert pharmacist in IBD.
- Patients have information about any changes in medication – and these are communicated to the patient’s IBD clinical team, GP and patient's community pharmacist, where appropriate, within 48 hours of discharge.