title: Dependent patients discharged home from PRM departments: relevant indicators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate simple, measurable indicators of optimal organizational procedures for the hospital-to-home discharge of dependent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the general practitioners (GPs) in the Maine-et-Loire county of France were sent a questionnaire asking them to rank the three main criteria (from the most important to the least significant) from a list of 14. We analyzed the median ranking for each item and identified the most important items in terms of their relative frequency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 10.77% (104 out of 966). Four criteria had a median score over 9: contact with the GP prior to discharge, informing the GP of the discharge date, training for the patient and his/her family in activities of daily living and providing a list of people to be contacted in the event of a problem at home. Respite hospitalization (in the event of difficulties at home) was cited as one of the three most relevant criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The criteria highlighted by the GPs were not highly specific for the discharge of a dependent patient. However, it would be interesting to extend this study by interviewing other stakeholders and determining whether these criteria indeed improve the organization of hospital-to-home discharge.
authors: Département de Médecine Générale, Faculté de Médecine, Université d'Angers, 1 Rue Haute-de-Reculée, 49045 Angers, France. elsamiro@hotmail.fr
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Miraux Dinomais
authors: A-L
authors: AL
authors: Ferrapie
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Dubus
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Garnier
authors: A
authors: A
authors: La Combe
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Richard
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000458:organization & administration; D017028:Caregivers; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003625:Data Collection; D005602:France; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010814:Physical Therapy Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012144:Respite Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires