Priority 15 from the Paediatric Hospital Care PSP

UNCERTAINTY: What are effective methods (e.g. education) to prepare families for discharge from the general paediatric inpatient unit? (JLA PSP Priority 15)
Overall ranking 15
JLA question ID 0114/15
Explanatory note Discharge can be a daunting time for children and their families hospitalized on a general paediatric inpatient unit, as such it is important to understand the most effective methods to faciliate discharge 
Evidence

Hall, K. K., Petsky, H. L., Chang, A. B., & O'grady, K. F. (2018). Caseworker‐assigned discharge plans to prevent hospital readmission for acute exacerbations in children with chronic respiratory illness. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11).
Ronan, S., Brown, M., & Marsh, L. (2020). Parents' experiences of transition from hospital to home of a child with complex health needs: A systematic literature review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(17-18), 3222-3235.
Spittle, A., Orton, J., Anderson, P. J., Boyd, R., & Doyle, L. W. (2015). Early developmental intervention programmes provided post hospital discharge to prevent motor and cognitive impairment in preterm infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11).

Health Research Classification System category Generic health relevance
Extra information provided by this PSP
Original uncertainty examples When can we go home? ~ What role would a step down unit for a rehab unit play in the transition home for a family in which their child acquired a significant disability - ie prior to discharge being in a near by apartment like setting in which the parent take full responsibility for care and the acute rehab team simulate community therapy and support. ~ need research and QI to minimize LOS and promote best practice in care and safe d/c home. ~ brain injury or spinal cord to ease the transition home. ~ What issues do they encounter after discharge that we should be addressing better during the inpatient stay? ~ waiting for family services to find a safe home for discharge etc... - ~ All items above and communicating when rounds will be. follow up post release from hospital. ~ What are the perceptions of patients and families of their inpatient experience after they have settled at home?
 
Submitted by 4 x parent/caregiver, 1 x recreation therapist, 6 x physician, 7 x friend/family member, 5 x nurse 
PSP information
PSP unique ID 0114
PSP name  Paediatric Hospital Care (Canada)
Total number of uncertainties identified by this PSP. 75  (To see a full list of all uncertainties identified, please see the detailed spreadsheet held on the JLA website)
Date of priority setting workshop 18th and 19th August 2021