Discharge Planning at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital Babies Ward
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajncc.v1i1.8609Keywords:
Discharge Planning, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Neonatal Care, Nurses’ Attitudes, Nurses’ Perceptions, Post-Discharge OutcomesAbstract
Discharge planning is an important process in the neonatal period, but it is unfortunately not routinely done in numerous sub-Saharan hospitals. In particular, inadequate discharge planning at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) babies’ ward has reportedly caused readmissions of babies at a rate of about 20%, underscoring the need to examine how nurses perceive and relate to this professional responsibility. This paper investigated the perceptions and attitudes of the nurses regarding discharge planning and the barriers to its practice at the GARH babies’ ward. A qualitative research methodology with a descriptive research design was used in this study. Sixteen nurses were selected by a purposive sampling method in the GARH babies’ ward. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed through thematic analysis. The nurses viewed discharge planning as a form of care continuum initiated during admission that involves patient-specific, neonate-related caregiver education meant to prevent readmission. Attitudinally, nurses showed commitment to their profession through the provision of family-centered care, support for individualized discharge education, and multidisciplinary collaborations for improved discharge planning. Some of the identified barriers included staffing and resource shortages, language and communication barriers, and barriers posed by caregivers, such as an impatient attitude and non-compliance with follow-ups. The study concludes that nurses working at GARH babies ward have knowledge about and positive attitudes towards discharge planning; however, some barriers stand in the way to actualize these knowledge and these attitudes. The study recommends improved policy and practice for discharge planning at the GARH babies’ ward.
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