Time for a rethink? Discharge summary completion is often delayed and associated with increased readmission

A retrospective review of 7185 South Australian discharge summaries revealed that 37.6% of discharge summaries were released at least a day after discharge, and per day of delay of medical discharge summary release, the chance of hospital 30‐day readmission increased by 1.60% ( P < 0.001). Delays may be associated with the task being time‐consuming. The workforce impact of junior doctor time and increased readmission rates favours interventions to change discharge summary workflows.