Transition of Care for Patients Essay
It would not be a mistake to suggest that there is a significant difference between a primary care provider and a hospitalist. Nevertheless, they should not be seen as mutually exclusive since it often happens so that a patient will undergo a transition from one to another. There are several points that should be considered with this regard.Transition of Care for Patients Essay
To begin with, it may be useful to outline several strategies that would promote a seamless transition. The first focuses on the fact that both a primary care provider and hospital staff should have an equal amount of information about the patient. In other words, at the time of transition, there should be no time devoted to catching up, figuratively speaking. In addition to that, the second strategy that might be employed focuses on the need for a primary care provider to have to prior practice before a patient is discharged from the hospital. This way one will have the necessary experience.
When it comes to the interface between the inpatient provider and the patient’s primary care physician at the time of discharge, one should mention several points. First of all, the inpatient provider is expected to present all relevant information that might help patient’s primary care physician to get all vital information immediately. In addition to that, the latter is expected to be able to interpret it correctly in order to make sure that everything that is essential is taken into consideration. The important point here is that the two parties should have a perfect understanding of the situation.Transition of Care for Patients Essay
The discharge plan is likely to include several elements, but those which are the most important are the following. First of all, the patient’s primary care provider should be aware of all the procedures, medications, and recommendations associated with the medical condition. This will improve the effectiveness of treatment. In addition to that, it is vital to develop an emergency plan that would ensure that the patient is taken to the hospital immediately. In other words, a primary care provider should not exactly what do to if the patient collapses. Given the seriousness of the medical condition, not a second can be wasted.
There are several methods that will help one evaluate patients understanding of the discharge plan. Thus, if possible, the patient should be able to repeat the important parts of it, clearly showing the knowledge of the basic elements and procedures that one had to undergo. Another useful method would be to ask the patient to explain the goal of each procedure or medication at least in broad terms. This way one will be able to see that the patient knows what one is doing or what the primary care providers are doing.Transition of Care for Patients Essay
There is a number of liability issues that should be mentioned when it comes to discharge planning and instruction. First of all, if the hospital staff fails to provide proper planning, one can be charged with negligence (Pozgar & Santucci, 2016). It is their duty to spell out all the necessary information. Another point that should be mentioned with this regard is the concept of medical error. The hospital staff should make sure that the instructions that are given are clear and are easy to follow since otherwise, they will be responsible for medical error (Charney, 2012).
having examined all the points that were mentioned in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: the transition of care for patients is an important issue that should be considered properly by the patient. That is why it is essential for the primary care providers and the hospital staff to cooperate properly.Transition of Care for Patients Essay