Analysis of written resources for parents of children discharged from a paediatric emergency department.

The aim of this study was to profile the information and readability of parent-focused resources to support care at home following a child's discharge from a paediatric emergency department (ED). Analysis included recording the scope, source, readability scores and benchmarking the contents against previous recommendations for discharge information. Information from 46 resources (on 41 conditions) from three separate sources was analysed. Overall, a wide range of resources was available. Inconsistency was evident in the framework and design of resources available. Approximately two-thirds of resources provided information about referral to community resources, and most had links to community health providers. Assessment of readability levels showed a predominant pitch towards a relatively high level of schooling. Existing written resources available for parents to use in caring for their child following discharge from an ED could improve with more streamlined designs as well as consistent references to community resources and additional health providers. Parents with low reading capacity may not be able to make the most of existing resources to care for their child at home following ED discharge. This framework was developed for reviewing the resources that could be useful for quality assessment of other parent-focused discharge information.

Paediatric emergency nurses' perceptions of parents' understanding of discharge information: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: To identify paediatric emergency department nurses' perceptions of factors influencing parents' understanding of discharge information. PROCEDURES: Content analysis was used to analyse data from three semi-structured focus groups with nurses from a paediatric ED. FINDINGS: Findings were interpreted within the three domains of structure, process, and outcomes from the Donabedian model. Within the structure domain, barriers to effective provision of discharge information included inexperienced emergency department staff and time policies. Enablers included availability of interpreter services. Process-related barriers included parents' health related behaviour and health literacy, while enablers included ensuring parents understood discharge information. Nurses' perceptions of ineffective outcomes involved the risk of parents receiving incomplete or inappropriate information. Nurses perceived effective outcomes in quality of care were related to their professional experience and competence in being able to provide useful information to parents. CONCLUSION: This study investigated ED nurses' perceptions of factors that influence parents' understanding of discharge information. Interpreting findings within the Donabedian model provided important directions for future improvements to structure, processes and outcomes for provision of discharge information to parents leaving a paediatric ED. Ultimately, the findings from this study could inform future research to maximise the role of ED nurses in providing a high quality of discharge care for children discharged from the ED.