Hospital discharge planning in cardiac care: study protocol for a mixed-methods study on the implementation, influencing factors and quality of care in Germany

IntroductionDischarge planning (DP) is essential to ensure continuity of care during patient transitions between inpatient and outpatient settings. Although DP has been legally required for all hospitals in Germany since 2017, several studies show considerable variation in its implementation, likely...

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Vydáno v:	BMJ open Ročník 15; číslo 8; s. e102212
Hlavní autoři:	Imhof, Lena, Bartels, Raphaele, Blum, Karl, Blume, Kai Svane, Fleischer, Steffen, Gottschalk, Susan, Heber, Robin, Horenkamp-Sonntag, Dirk, Meyer, Gabriele, Remppis, Bjoern Andrew, Schneider, Udo, Schreyoegg, Jonas, Winter, Vera
Médium:	Journal Article
Jazyk:	angličtina
Vydáno:	England British Medical Journal Publishing Group 08.08.2025 BMJ Publishing Group LTD BMJ Publishing Group
Témata:	Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular Diseases - therapy Collaboration Continuity of care Continuity of Patient Care Discharge planning Germany Health care expenditures Health Services Research Hospital to Home Transition Hospitals Humans Mixed methods research Organisation of health services Patient Discharge - standards Patient Satisfaction Patients Perceptions Protocol Protocols & guidelines Quality of Health Care Research Design Response rates Workforce planning Germany Cardiovascular Disease Protocols & guidelines Hospital to Home Transition Organisation of health services
ISSN:	2044-6055, 2044-6055
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Shrnutí:	IntroductionDischarge planning (DP) is essential to ensure continuity of care during patient transitions between inpatient and outpatient settings. Although DP has been legally required for all hospitals in Germany since 2017, several studies show considerable variation in its implementation, likely due to differences in structural characteristics and organisational processes. Both quality and efficiency-enhancing DP processes are particularly important in the context of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of mortality and a major contributor to healthcare costs in Germany. The ‘Ready to Discharge’ (R2D) project investigates the implementation status, influencing factors and outcomes of DP in cardiac units of German hospitals. By integrating quantitative and qualitative data, we aim to identify best practices and provide actionable recommendations for improving DP processes.Methods and analysisA mixed-methods study design will be used. Quantitative analyses will be based on primary data from hospital and patient surveys combined with secondary data from health insurance claims and hospital quality reports. Key outcome measures will include healthcare utilisation outcomes (eg, readmissions, emergency department visits), patient health status outcomes (eg, patient satisfaction, self-rated health) and medication-related outcomes (eg, medication adherence). Qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals will enrich the findings by providing insights into barriers and facilitators to DP.Ethics and disseminationThis study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Bergische University of Wuppertal and the German Federal Office for Social Security. Informed consent will be obtained for all primary data collections. Hospital managing directors will be informed prior to the hospital survey and will be able to withdraw consent. Patients can withdraw their consent at any time. Secondary data will be analysed in pseudonymised form to ensure patient confidentiality. Results will be disseminated through workshops, regional and international conferences and peer-reviewed publications.
Bibliografie:	Protocol ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 14 content type line 23 ObjectType-Undefined-3 Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise. None declared.
ISSN:	2044-6055 2044-6055
DOI:	10.1136/bmjopen-2025-102212