What information will I receive about my hospital discharge?
Prior to your discharge, your doctor will review his expectations with you. For example, what he expects you to do while you're at home; when he expects to see you in his office. He will advise about what medications to take, what kind of care you will need over the next few days or weeks, immediately before your discharge. A nurse will sit down and discuss the discharge process to make sure you have a complete understanding of your physician's discharge instructions. Usually, the discharge process will occur in the presence of another family member or some care-giver to allow someone else to listen to the instructions, because sometimes it's very hard as a patient to hear and truly comprehend the instructions during the discharge process. To even further make it meaningful to you, you will be handed a copy of written discharge instructions, which reflect that which the nurse was teaching you during that discharge process. The nurse will also educate you about what signs and symptoms to be sensitive to. That should occur before you see your physician.
