Readiness for Hospital Discharge and Its Correlates Among People Living With HIV in Hunan, China: A Cross-sectional Study

We aimed to (a) describe the readiness for hospital discharge in people living with HIV and (b) explore factors associated with readiness for hospital discharge. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at two infectious disease hospitals in Hunan, China, from May to November 2017. The readiness for hospital discharge scale (RHDS) was used to assess discharge readiness. The average item mean for the RHDS ranges from 0 to 10, and higher scores represent a higher level of readiness for hospital discharge. The mean score of the RHDS was 7.78 (95% confidence interval 7.586-7.968), and 27.6% of participants (n = 56/203) felt unready for discharge (RHDS <7). We found that older age, lack of medical insurance, lower self-rated health status, poorer quality of discharge teaching, and more severe depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a lower level of readiness for hospital discharge. Interventions are needed to improve readiness of people living with HIV for hospital discharge in Hunan, China, especially for those of advanced age, without medical insurance, with worse self-rated health status, and those with higher levels of depressive symptoms.