Abstract:
This study was descriptive research aiming to study factors influencing discharge
planning of professional nurses. The participants were 200 professional nurses who worked in
the inpatient departments at Bumrungrad Hospital. Data collection was conducted from April to
May, 2004 by the questionnaires developed by the researcher based on nursing process and
discharge planning guidelines of the Nursing Division, Ministry of Public Health (1996). The
data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation
Coefficient.
The results revealed that all of the participants were female. The majority of them
(64.5%) were aged from 22 to 27 years old, their educational level was mainly bachelor’s degree
(91.5%). The professional nurses with 1 to 5 years of experience in working were the highest in
number (82%). Most of them had never been trained in discharge planning (82.5%). In the
discharge process, the professional nurses reported that they had the tools for discharge process
(36%). The score of knowledge in discharge planning was at the high level ( X = 18.05, S.D. =
2.05). Additionally, the findings demonstrated that the educational level and experience in
working were not correlated to the practice in discharge planning at a statistically significant
level of .01 (p < .01). Training, knowledge of discharge planning, perception toward discharge
planning, multidisciplinary team participation were correlated to the practice in discharge
planning at a statistically significant level of .01(r = .308; r = .190 ; r = .382 ; r = .395, p < .01,
respectively) and organizational factors such as hospital policies, administration and
management, working conditions, documentation system, and communication were positively
correlated to the practice in discharge planning at a statistically significant level of .01(r =.784;
r =.662;r =.898;r = .936;r = .876,p < .01,respectively)
The recommendation for improving effective discharge planning does not only depend on
the knowledge and experience of nurses, but might depend on proper support from the hospital.
Therefore, nurses should have continual formal training in discharge planning and the hospital
should have a clear policy, effective strategies, models, a supportive system to solve the
problems and provide the resources to facilitate the continuity of care to increase the quality of
care in the practice of discharge planning