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For the study, researchers assessed 90 discharge summaries for completeness and accuracy, according to standards by The Joint Commission for hospital accreditation. Key findings include the following:
• Most items were completely reported, with the exception of the reason for medication changes, which was missing in 16 percent of summaries.
• Discharge medication lists, medication changes and the reason for medication changes — when present — were inaccurate in 35.7 percent, 29.5 percent and 37.7 percent of summaries, respectively.
• Communication of follow-up plans was cited as the area in need of most improvement.
Researchers concluded these findings could help identify educational interventions to improve the quality of discharge summaries.
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