Background: Hospital discharges can be complex for patients, and ensuring patient comprehension of their clinical records and discharge summaries is critical for improving health-related outcomes. However, studies suggest that 88% of discharge instructions are not readable to the population served. In our prior study we demonstrated that generative AI (AI) has the potential to transform [...]

Background: Many institutions rely on informal training for internal medicine (IM) residents about how to provide effective discharge communication to patients and their caregivers. Complete instructions are essential to safe transitions of care. At our institution, we evaluated baseline knowledge of these topics among IM residents, and assessed how an educational module impacted residents’ knowledge, [...]

Background: Written discharge instructions frequently lack guidance on how patients should address problems and questions that arise at home, and this represents an opportunity to enhance discharge safety and prevent readmissions. This study aimed to increase the number of discharge instructions that included anticipatory guidance and self-management among patients discharged from internal medicine teaching services [...]

Background: One of the tools providers use in the discharge process to promote a safe transition of care is the written discharge instructions. Optimization of these instructions has been identified by physicians as a potential strategy to prevent readmissions. Our survey aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of providers related to anticipatory guidance [...]

Background: The after-visit-summary (AVS) is an essential tool used by providers to explain discharge instructions and ensure appropriate post discharge follow up. Studies have shown that post discharge follow up within 7 days is associated with substantially lower risk of readmission, an organizational priority for us (1). However, many patients were not following up within [...]

Background: Patients’ confidence managing their health after discharge is essential to effective transitions of care. After Visit Summaries (AVSs) are a standard way of communicating discharge instructions. Past studies proposed solutions to improve discharge instructions and information retention, including simplified information pages, structured discharge letters, and graphic-based discharge information (DeSai et al., Lin et al., [...]

Background: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recommends a structured, patient-centered discharge communication process. To create patient-centered discharge communication, it is vital to understand the information that patients value upon discharge. Little is known about how patients prioritize discharge information; therefore, our objective was to determine the perceptions of hospitalized patients about the relative [...]

Background: Hospital discharges can be complex for patients, and ensuring patient comprehension of their clinical records and discharge summaries is critical for improving health-related outcomes. However, studies suggest that 88% of discharge instructions are not readable to the population served. In our prior study we demonstrated that generative AI (AI) has the potential to transform [...]

Background: Written patient discharge instructions play an important role in patient education upon discharge from the hospital. Writing clear, concise instructions is documented to reduce re-admission rates. [1,2] Despite the importance of well-written discharge instructions, we found that medical students at our institution received little formal education in writing discharge instructions during their pre-clinical courses [...]