Hospital discharge can be one of the most vulnerable moments in a patient’s care journey.

Patients are often overwhelmed, exhausted, in pain, anxious, or processing a large amount of information in a short period of time. Even with excellent education from the care team, important details can be forgotten or misunderstood once the patient gets home.

That’s where caregivers matter — tremendously.

Digital patient engagement solutions have many benefits — prompting 78% of leaders nationwide to invest in them. They can be convenient ways to automate, stay in touch, send reminders, and give patients a direct line to their care teams. 

Around 12% of heart attack survivors are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. While the reason for the readmission is sometimes another heart attack, that isn’t always the case. Around half of these readmissions are not even cardiac-related.

You know that not all patients are the same. Medical problems, reactions to medications, and many other health-related issues make every patient — and their experience — truly unique.

Actively engaged patients understand their health well and feel empowered to take proactive health management measures. Daily decisions like eating a healthy diet, taking medications correctly, or getting exercise come naturally, leading to better outcomes.

Hospital patients have a lot to remember when they leave the hospital, like self-care instructions, follow-up appointments, and medication changes. Remembering things like this is tough for healthy people, but trying to remember it all when you’re sick or in pain makes understanding a care plan much more difficult.

Patients typically get very excited when they hear “discharge.” Discharge means they are going home, but it also means patients will be caring for themselves once they get home. If patients don’t understand their care plan, or aren’t engaged in their plan, their chances of readmission after discharge increase.

The HCAHPS survey measures the patient experience over a wide range of domains, from environmental cleanliness to staff responsiveness. Communication is another theme across many domains, and for good reason: Without clear communication, patients cannot be engaged members of the care team.

No single physician can be an expert in all aspects of care, especially when patients have complex health conditions.

Complex care is common. A typical primary care doctor coordinates with 229 other physicians. Patients on Medicare visit at least two primary care doctors and five specialists every year.

More and more research shows that bedside conversations with patients can improve both their experience and their outcomes.