Patient Experience at Discharge: A Quality Improvement Study in an Armed Forces Hospital, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Over the past decade, the health sector of Saudi Arabia has been undergoing a major transformation. This pilot research aimed to improve the patient experience (PX) at discharge by at least 2 scores within 2 years at a King Abdul Aziz Armed Forces Hospital (KAAB-AFH), Dhahran, in Saudi Arabia. The project was planned, executed, monitored, and closed through five Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles from Q2 2019 to Q2 2023. Discharge planning Include, Discuss, Educate, Assess, and Listen model, Teach Back technique, and Re-Engineered Discharge model, and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool were used. The mean PX score at discharge improved from 86.80 (SD ±1.89) to 89.72 (SD ±1.77) (P = 0.02), the discharge speed PX score by 4.36 points (P = 0.05), and the PX score for the clearness of instructions at discharge increased by 2.75 points (P = 0.01). This PX quality improvement research project resulted in a significant improvement in patients’ understanding of their health status, increased adherence to discharge procedures, and a sustained improvement in the quality of care.