Care Dependency of Individuals Discharged from Hospital and Its Effect on Their Readiness for Discharge

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was carried out to examine the readiness to discharge, and the care dependency of patients who had been hospitalized for at least two days in surgical and internal clinics who were then recommended for discharge.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive study, a simple random sampling method in a training and research hospital was used between April 10th, 2018 and April 10th, 2019. Five hundred forty patients who agreed to participate in this study were included. The Patient Information Form covering the sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, the Care Dependency scale, and the Readiness for Discharge scale (RDS) were used to collect the research data.RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 61.00 years and the median of hospital stay was 5 days. It was determined that the median score of care dependency of those patients who were recommended for discharge was moderately independent with a medium score on meeting their care needs of 46.00. When the median score of the RDS was examined, it was determined that, for those people who were not ready for discharge, it was high with a total scale score of 6.18.CONCLUSION: The use of scales for care needs and discharge may prevent the early discharge of patients from hospital, and thus, may help to reduce the development of complications after discharge, re-hospitalization and additional medical expenses. In line with the results of this study, it is clear that patients need pre-discharge education.