Medical-surgical nurses' documentation of client teaching and discharge planning at a Jamaican hospital

Aim This study sought to review documentation of client teaching and discharge planning performed on the medical wards of an urban Jamaican hospital. Background Amid a chronic disease epidemic in Jamaica, adequate discharge planning and client education among hospitalized clients are essential to ensure optimal health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Method A total of 131 records from six medical wards were audited. The audit instrument was developed based on the Ministry of Health, Jamaica guidelines, and appraised the completeness of assessment, use of the nursing process, client teaching and discharge planning. Quota sampling facilitated the selection of medical records which met the inclusion criteria. The SPSSA (R) version 22 for WindowsA (R) facilitated data analysis. Results Eighty-eight adult (67.2%) and 43 (32.8%) paediatric records were audited; 89.3% indicated the clients were diagnosed with at least one non-communicable disease. Fourteen percent of records reflected documented evidence of client teaching within the first 72 h of admission. On the day of discharge, only 18.3% reflected client teaching. Nurses seldom began discharge planning within the first 24 h of admission as only 6.9% records had documented evidence. These trends were common to adult and paediatric units. Discussion and Conclusion The requisite client teaching and discharge planning appeared to be lacking in the records reviewed and may be contributory to deficiencies noted in self-care management. Research is needed to determine factors which could facilitate improved client teaching and discharge planning in the local context. Failure to address this gap in nursing care can significantly affect the country's ability to the reduce the economic burden associated with chronic diseases. Implications for nursing and health policy This study highlighted an opportunity for advocacy among nurses and requires nursing leadership to collaboratively develop policies and guidelines to address discharge planning and client education among hospitalized clients. Given the significant health costs associated with non-communicable diseases this should be made a priority in the National Strategic and Action Plan for the Prevention and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Jamaica with clear articulations.