Client satisfaction is considered an important outcome measure in a managed care environment faced with escalating health care costs, shortened lengths of
hospital stay, and competition among acute care hospitals. With shortened lengths of stay in acute care hospitals,
discharge planning has assumed increased importance, particularly for elders who have
chronic conditions, such as
heart failure, that require
follow-up care. Consequently, understanding the predictors of client satisfaction with
discharge planning can help hospitals and their nursing staff to tailor services to meet client needs. Previous studies have focused on patient satisfaction with hospital care, with little attention given specifically to satisfaction with
discharge planning and to family caregiver satisfaction with
discharge planning. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between elder and family member satisfaction with
discharge planning 2 weeks after hospitalization and what factors predict satisfaction with
discharge planning 2 weeks after hospitalization for elders hospitalized with
heart failure and their family caregivers. Telephone interviews were conducted with 134 elder/family caregiver dyads 2 weeks after hospitalization. The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in
discharge planning satisfaction of elders and their family caregivers.
Continuity of care and extent to which they felt prepared to manage care following hospitalization were the best predictors of elder's and family caregiver's satisfaction with
discharge planning.