PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It all comes down to communication. It is a simple concept: a healthcare provider and a patient talk to each other to go over care plans. This is crucial during hospital stays — and especially at the time the patient is going home.
An alarming new study looking at several teaching hospitals has found that, on the day of discharge from the hospital, attending physicians were in the room for a median of three minutes; interns, for four minutes; and all nurses, for a total of 22 minutes.
On the day of discharge key issues must be discussed, such as medications at home, appointments, care at home, managing the illness and much more.
Do not hesitate to ask for a detailed person-to-person conversation if you have any questions before leaving the hospital.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
