Health Literacy, Care Transition and Adherence with Discharge Instructions of Patients Discharged to Home from the Emergency Department
Authors
Mangolds, Virginia B.Faculty Advisor
Dr. Nancy MorrisUMass Chan Affiliations
Graduate School of NursingDocument Type
Doctoral DissertationPublication Date
2018-06-18Keywords
Health LiteracyEmergency Care
Difficulty Coping
Care Transition
Follow up instructions
Emergency Medicine
Health Services Administration
Information Literacy
Nursing
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between health literacy, preparedness for discharge, adherence to discharge instructions and difficulty coping after discharge among emergency department patients. Specific Aims: The Aims of this study were to: (1) describe the variability of health literacy of adult patients in an academic tertiary Emergency Department; (2) describe the relationship between health literacy, care transition, and perceived readiness for discharge on the patient’s adherence to discharge instructions and (3) explore whether health literacy, perceived preparation for discharge and care transition, predicts difficulty coping after discharge. Framework: Dr. Meleis’s Transitions Theory was used as a framework. Design: This is a prospective cohort study of adults treated and discharged from the ED. Results: Eighty five percent of the subjects completed the study (n = 132). Subjects satisfied with transition care (P = .025) and who felt more prepared for discharge (P = .035) had less difficulty coping. Subjects more satisfied with care transition were more likely to adhere to medication instructions (P = .029). The higher the satisfaction with discharge preparation, the less likely the subjects were to go to their follow-up appointment (P = 0.051). No associations were found with health literacy. Conclusion: Satisfaction with care transition during the discharge process and feeling well-prepared are related to less difficulty coping after discharge. Nurses have an opportunity to intervene and enhance the discharge experience. This may contribute to more positive outcomes after being seen in an emergency department.DOI
10.13028/krks-7158Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/34402Rights
Copyright © 2018 MangoldsDistribution License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.13028/krks-7158