References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Definitions of quality indicators, version 1.3. Undated. https://tinyurl.com/ydymapb9 (accessed 12 December 2018)

Ashbrook L, Mourad M, Sehgal N. Communicating discharge instructions to patients: a survey of nurse, intern, and hospitalist practices. J Hosp Med.. 2013; 8:(1)36-41 https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.1986

Griffith R. A nurse's duty to warn of risks extends to aftercare as well as initial consent. Br J Nurs.. 2018; 27:(5)276-277 https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2018.27.5.276

Sehgal NL, Fox M, Sharpe BA, Vidyarthi AR, Blegen M, Wachter RM. Critical conversations: a call for a nonprocedural ‘time out’. J Hosp Med.. 2011; 6:(4)225-230 https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.853

Warning patients of treatment risks

10 January 2019

Regulars

02 January 2019

Volume 28 · Issue 1

ISSN (print): 0966-0461

ISSN (online): 2052-2819

The article ‘A nurse's duty to warn of risks extends to aftercare as well as initial consent’ in the 8 March 2018 issue of the British Journal of Nursing (Griffith, 2018) admonishes nurses to inform patients during initial consent and discharge education about post-surgical risks to be aware of and actions to take in case of an adverse event. Nevertheless, the author missed the mark by implying that discharge education for patients' aftercare is solely the responsibility of nurses and, in so doing, fails to outline potential solutions for providers on the care team to enhance communication at discharge.

Having the care team involved, especially the nurse and physician, in providing discharge instructions increases the likelihood that all necessary components of discharge education will be discussed. Ashbrook et al (2013) noted that having such comprehensive discharge education can promote patient understanding, is essential to guarantee a peaceful transition from hospital to home, and may abate preventable re-hospitalisation.

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