ArticleBMC health services research2025
Exploring consumer and healthcare professional perspectives on discharge medicine communication and solutions for safer transitions of care.
Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundThe period immediately following hospital discharge is a time of heightened vulnerability for patients compounded by poor communication and information transfer between hospital and primary care healthcare professionals. These gaps contribute to medication-related harm, which accounts for a substantial proportion of preventable readmissions and emergency department presentations. This study explored the perspectives of consumers and healthcare professionals on discharge medicine information handover to inform the development of an intervention to improve transitions of care.
methodsQualitative methodology was used through focus group discussions in Southeast Queensland, Australia, between March-August 2024. Participants included hospital-based doctors, nurses, and pharmacists; primary care healthcare professionals (general practitioners, community pharmacists, and credentialled pharmacists); and consumers and carers with experience of post-discharge medicine management. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Rigour was enhanced through iterative coding cycles, reflexive team discussions, and triangulation across diverse stakeholder groups.
resultsSeventy-five participants contributed to 12 focus groups. Three overarching themes with eight subthemes were identified. First, discharge documentation was frequently delayed, incomplete, or poorly structured, with workforce constraints and fragmented digital systems compounding these issues. Second, primary care providers often received no notification of discharge information, with inaccurate contact details and absent verification processes leading to missed or delayed follow-up. Third, patients reported insufficient or unclear medicine information at discharge, limiting their confidence in post-discharge self-management. Proposed solutions included greater pharmacist involvement in discharge planning, decoupling discharge medicine lists from discharge summaries, automated alerts to confirm receipt of information, improved use of digital health systems, and enhanced patient/carer engagement.
conclusionThis study highlights persistent challenges in the transfer of medicine information at hospital discharge at system, healthcare professional, and patient levels. Participants identified practical strategies to address these gaps, including pharmacist-led interventions, digital solutions, and patient-centred discharge practices. These findings will inform the design of a multifaceted intervention to improve medicine handover and reduce 30-day hospital readmissions due to medication-related harm. Broader system investment in workforce capacity, digital integration, and patient engagement will be essential to promote safer transitions of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12624000480583p, registered 19 April 2024, https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12624000480583p.aspx .
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