Improving the Discharge Process for Short Stay Surgical Urology Patients

The Baker 15 unit at New York Presbyterian (NYP) is a short-stay surgical unit with an expected length of stay of less than 48 hours. The Capstone team focused on the surgical urological patients who make up more than 65 percent of the discharges. The objective for this project was to decrease the length of stay, streamline the discharge process, and increase patient readiness for discharge. The Capstone team observed and interviewed patients and care providers from diagnoses to discharge. Areas for improvement were identified in pre-operative education, the need for standardization of post-operative supplies, and the underutilization of nurse practitioners managing discharge care. Best practice research identified cutting edge discharge methods including virtual online education sessions, instructional videos, and visual fact cards. Best practice hospitals use nurse practitioners to manage the patient post-operatively, which has proven to lower length of stay. The team recommended that NYP implement best practice methods in order to make the discharge process more efficient for care providers, increase patient confidence for discharge, and decrease length of stay.