Quality Improvement of Discharge Planning for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Medical Female 1 Patients Unit, Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

Discharge planning is a critical process aimed at preparing patients, from the initial phase of hospital admission through to discharge. Appropriate discharge planning for patients with chronic diseases can reduce 28-day readmission rates and average length of stay. This research aimed to improve the quality of discharge planning for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Female Medical Ward 1, Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai Province, using the IDEAL framework. The sample consisted of 33 COPD patients admitted to Female Medical Ward 1 and 17 healthcare professionals. Research instruments included personal data recording forms for healthcare providers and patients, a developed COPD patient discharge planning record, service quality records, a COPD discharge planning implementation checklist, and a COPD discharge planning manual based on the IDEAL framework. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, and mean.

            The findings indicated that, following implementation of the IDEAL-framework-based discharge planning, the multidisciplinary team was able to follow the discharge planning guidelines at a rate exceeding 80%. The 28-day readmission rate decreased to 6.06%, and the average length of stay decreased to 5.45 days. The study results provide guidelines for discharge planning of COPD patients in Female Medical Ward 1, Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai Province. Hospital administrators can adapt this approach for the discharge planning of patients with other chronic diseases.