Does Discharging a Patient Make You Feel Like You’re Herding Cats?

Abstract

Multidisciplinary rounds that bring together the entire treatment team and, often, patients and family members, are a key in relieving the chaos that often occurs on the day of discharge. The rounds increase communication and promote collaboration around the discipline by keeping everyone on the treatment team on the same page. Rounds save time for case managers because they hear every discipline's plans for their patients at the same time and everyone on the team avoids fielding multiple phone calls during the day. Rounds should be carefully planned and strictly scripted with a strong facilitator to keep everyone on the subject and ensure that the rounds are short and productive. Participants should include physicians, case managers, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, therapists, and on occasion, support staff such as chaplains.