Discharge Home
Criteria for discharge
Assessing safety for discharge includes but is not limited to:
- Vital signs stable
- Symptoms well controlled
- Tolerating oral intake
- Mobilising safely/at baseline
- Patient understands and is able to follow discharge advice
- Appropriate supervision/support available at home
- Return transport to ED available if required.
🚩 High risk patient groups 🚩
- 🚩 Representations
- All representations must be reviewed by ED Senior before discharge.
- 🚩 Patients receiving IV morphine for abdo pain
- All patients with abdominal pain requiring parenteral opiates (e.g. IV morphine) must be physically reviewed by an ED senior.
- 🚩 Patients unable to mobilise
- Patients should be at baseline mobility prior to discharge
- All patients unable to mobilise must be physically reviewed by an ED senior, with a view to admission and further investigation.
- 🚩 Infants under 12 months
- All infants should be physically reviewed by an ED senior
- 🚩 JMOs’ patients
- Interns’ patients should be physically reviewed by an ED senior prior to discharge.
- RMOs should (at a minimum) discuss all their patients prior to discharge.
- Do not discharge any patient unless you are happy it is safe to do so – the registrars and consultants expect you to come and discuss patients with them.
- Prior to discharge, ensure you have checked and commented on the results of all investigations. Also document your discharge plan.
- No patient should be discharged unless they are going to be able to manage in their home environment, either by themselves or with available assistance
- Elderly patients should not be sent home after 9pm unless they have a capable carer to look after them.
- Remember ASET or Community Services (incl SOS) may be utilised to allow safe discharge.
- All geriatric patients should be assessed for their ability to manage in their usual home environment, prior to discharge. ASET will help with this in-hours.