Formulate a significant clinical question related to the topic of the systematic review that will be the basis for your capstone change project.

Formulate a significant clinical question related to the topic of the systematic review that will be the basis for your capstone change project.

This concern begged the questions: Would improved discharge education and emphasis on following up with their primary doctor and/or the referred specialist reduce the un-necessary returns to the ER, which would also decrease health-care cost?

Relate how you developed the question.

Returning ER admissions is a concern for most medical facilities. It drives up health-care cost, it frustrates the patients and the ER staff by not only repeat treatment, but also crowded ER conditions. The medical staff at our facility already provides discharge instructions as well as emphasize the importance of following thru on the prescribed treatment.  We already talk to the patient and stress the importance of contacting the referred physician listed on his/her discharge instructions for an in-office follow up appointment, and if applicable, for a treatment plan to prevent future emergency situations.

After considering a number of ideas vis a vis of what is in fact feasible in the ER, I arrived at the bottom-line questions: How do I get my patients to understand the importance of following up outside the ER? How can we make discharge instructions more individualized based on patient’s needs and abilities?