One of the major goals of the Thriving at Home approach that we follow at Assisting Hands is to avoid readmission to the hospital. Return trips increase costs and present considerable health risks.

Part 1 of this topic covered the reasons for readmission. Part 2 discussed techniques to help reduce the chances of a readmission. Here we will give examples of questions to ask before leaving the hospital.

At the end of your hospital stay, your care team will give you discharge paperwork and, hopefully, review it with you. How stressful! You’re trying to recover and now they want you to read eight pages of fine print?!

Be prepared for discharge by having a family member, friend, or caregiver present. You want someone clearheaded, who can help you understand what the nurse or provider is saying. They need to write down any additional instructions or clarifications so that you can refer to them later. Here is a partial list of questions you may want to ask to clear up any misunderstandings or omissions.

• What treatment or procedures did you receive while you were in the hospital?
• Do you have any new medical conditions? How are they likely to progress?
• Should you limit your activities? If so, for how long?
• What should you watch out for? Catching complications early can prevent a return trip to the hospital. What symptoms should cause you to call your provider immediately?
• Do you have any new medications? How will they interact with existing prescriptions?
• What are the side effects?
• Do you need to fill any prescriptions?
• Will you need follow-up tests or treatments?
• Do you need to follow up with your primary care provider? If so, how soon?
• Is there a social worker or case manager you can talk to about finding services in your community?
• What should you do if you have pain?

Understanding your discharge plan and sticking to it will greatly increase your chances of transitioning home successfully and avoiding a hospital readmission.