Combine verbal instructions with other modes of communication (e.g., written, visual)

• Distribute a simple tool to patients and caregivers that enables them to record key pieces of information to transition with confidence
  Process measure: Percent of patients who receive a written record of the information they need for discharge prior to discharge
  Patient Oriented Discharge Summary (PODS) Toolkit by UHN OpenLab
  Taking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the Hospital by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Try implementing the IDEAL discharge process and checklist at your organization
  IDEAL Discharge Planning Overview, Process and Checklist by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Assess your patients’ confidence regarding discharge and self-care management
  Health Confidence: A Simple, Essential Measure for Patient Engagement and Better Practice by Wasson JD and Coleman EA (Fam Pract Manag. 2014 Sep-Oct;21(5):8-12).

Educate staff about appropriate discharge practices and how to verify that their patients are leaving the hospital with enough information

• Review reliable sources to build a curriculum
  Transitions between hospital and home
• Use the TeachBack method, which involves asking your patient(s) to repeat in their own words the instructions or information that you have provided
  “Always Use Teach-back” Training by UnityPoint Health, Health Literacy Iowa, and Des Moines University
• Educate staff about best discharge practices
  Care Transitions from Hospital to Home: IDEAL Discharge Planning by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) Toolkit by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  Facilitating Client Centred Learning by RNAO