Older hospitalised patients’ experience of involvement in discharge planning

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide healthcare policy highlights patient involvement and participation. Older people with chronic diseases and comorbidities are in need of complex healthcare. Even though these issues have been highlighted, there is a need to investigate older patients' perspective on discharge planning in order to ensure quality in the healthcare system. AIM: The aim was to explore how older medical patients experience their own involvement in discharge planning from a medical department. METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 20 patients aged 60+. Interviews were conducted 1 week after discharge in the patients' homes. ETHICAL APPROVAL: The study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency, and ethical principles were applied while the study was being conducted. All participants provided informed consent. RESULTS: The participants had individual needs and various experiences of being involved in their discharge planning. One main category emerged from the study, "Different levels of rapport," as well as three subcategories, "A lot of information-mostly from healthcare professionals to patients," "The distribution of roles between healthcare professionals and patients" and "The meaning of having relatives." CONCLUSION: The participants had various experiences and preferences based on their involvement in discharge planning. In general, older people wished to be involved in discharge planning. Healthcare professionals should thus be aware of the involvement levels of such patients and adjust nursing to these levels during hospitalisation.