Modern Care Journal
Sun, Aug 2, 2026
[Archive]
Volume 23, Issue 2 (6-2026)
|
Back to browse issues page
Ethics code: IR.BUMS.REC.1397.112
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Arbabi M, Miri K, Soleimanian Asl M, Afshar R, Bahrami M. Comprehensive Discharge Planning Assessment and Related Factors among Nurses in Birjand, Iran: A Correlational Study. Mod Care J 2026; 23 (2) :1-9
URL: http://mcj.bums.ac.ir/article-1-628-en.html
URL: http://mcj.bums.ac.ir/article-1-628-en.html
1- Department of Health and Religion, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
2- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
3- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.
4- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
5- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Email:bahramim@bums.ac.ir
2- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
3- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.
4- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
5- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Email:bahramim@bums.ac.ir
Abstract: (183 Views)
Background: Discharge planning is a critical component of patient-centered care that begins at admission and ensures continuity of care by addressing patients' and families' post-discharge needs. When implemented effectively, standardized discharge planning can reduce hospital length of stay, readmission rates, mortality, and healthcare costs.
Objectve: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of standard discharge planning components from nurses' perspectives and examine its relationship with their demographic and professional characteristics.
Methods: This correlational study was conducted with 102 nurses at Birjand (Vali-Asr & Razi hospitals) in Iran in 2022, selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic form and the Comprehensive Discharge Planning Assessment Questionnaire, a 51-item tool covering five subscales: general care, nutritional and medication education, self-management, activity and safety, and psychosocial-supportive care. Content validity was confirmed by 10 nursing faculty experts (content validity index = 0.8), and reliability was supported by a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 26), employing statistical tests, including analysis of variance, chi-square, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlation.
Results: Most participants were female (59.8%), married (72.5%), and nurses, with a mean age of 33.2 ± 7.1 years. The standard discharge program scored 51.7±17.3 overall, with general care rated highest (Good = 24.5%) and self-management lowest (Poor = 41.2%). Education, job position, and employment type significantly influenced perceptions of discharge program (P < 0.05). Nurses with bachelor's degrees scored higher in general care than those with master's degrees. Formal employees outperformed contractual staff in key areas. Managerial experience was negatively correlated with some subscales (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: In this study, the predictors influencing patient discharge from nurses' perspective were examined. These findings may provide a basis for healthcare systems to improve the transition of care from hospital to the community, standardize discharge planning, and enhance patients' self-management following discharge.
Objectve: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of standard discharge planning components from nurses' perspectives and examine its relationship with their demographic and professional characteristics.
Methods: This correlational study was conducted with 102 nurses at Birjand (Vali-Asr & Razi hospitals) in Iran in 2022, selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic form and the Comprehensive Discharge Planning Assessment Questionnaire, a 51-item tool covering five subscales: general care, nutritional and medication education, self-management, activity and safety, and psychosocial-supportive care. Content validity was confirmed by 10 nursing faculty experts (content validity index = 0.8), and reliability was supported by a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 26), employing statistical tests, including analysis of variance, chi-square, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlation.
Results: Most participants were female (59.8%), married (72.5%), and nurses, with a mean age of 33.2 ± 7.1 years. The standard discharge program scored 51.7±17.3 overall, with general care rated highest (Good = 24.5%) and self-management lowest (Poor = 41.2%). Education, job position, and employment type significantly influenced perceptions of discharge program (P < 0.05). Nurses with bachelor's degrees scored higher in general care than those with master's degrees. Formal employees outperformed contractual staff in key areas. Managerial experience was negatively correlated with some subscales (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: In this study, the predictors influencing patient discharge from nurses' perspective were examined. These findings may provide a basis for healthcare systems to improve the transition of care from hospital to the community, standardize discharge planning, and enhance patients' self-management following discharge.
Article Types: Research Article |
Subject:
Management and Leadership in Healthcare Services
Received: 2026/05/9 | Accepted: 2026/05/31 | Published: 2026/06/30
Received: 2026/05/9 | Accepted: 2026/05/31 | Published: 2026/06/30
References
1. Quillatupa N, Covenas CS. A Culturally Competent Approach to Discharge Planning and Transfer of Care. Cureus. 2023 Dec;15(12): e50235. [PMID: 38192920; PMCID: PMC10773675.] [DOI:10.7759/cureus.50235]
2. Bechir G, Bechir A. Reducing Delays, Improving Flow: The Importance of a Dedicated Discharge Coordinator in Hospital Discharge Planning. Cureus. 2025 Jun 12;17(6): e85879. [PMID: 40520844; PMCID: PMC12166983.] [DOI:10.7759/cureus.85879]
3. Wang C, Yu T, Luo X, Zhou C, You C, Duan L, et al. Protocol for the development of a clinical practice guideline for discharge planning of stroke patients. Ann Transl Med. 2022 Sep;10(17):937. [PMID: 36172097; PMCID: PMC9511188.] [DOI:10.21037/atm-22-3151]
4. Kurniawan T, Nilmanat K, Boonyasopun U, Ganefianty A. Experiences of discharge planning practices among Indonesian nurses: A qualitative study. Belitung Nurs J. 2023 Dec 20;9(6):520-9. [PMID: 38130678; PMCID: PMC10731435.] [DOI:10.33546/bnj.2980]
5. Rameli PM, Rajendran N. Outcomes of complex discharge planning in older adults with complex needs: a scoping review. J Int Med Res. 2022 Jul;50(7):3000605221110511. [PMID: 35903858; PMCID: PMC9340947.] [DOI:10.1177/03000605221110511]
6. Mohammadi A, Dalir Z, Gardeshi FH, Ziaei S. Nurses' viewpoints toward the causes of not implementing the discharge planning in burn units in 2010. J. Mazandaran. univ. med. sci2011 Aug 1;21(83):67-72. (Persian)
[URL: http://jmums.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-691-en.html]
7. Ghafari S, Mohamadi E. The reasons of lack of discharge planning performance by nurses. IJN. 2007;19(48):55-66. (Persian)
[URL: http://ijn.iums.ac.ir/article-1-219-en.html]
8. Sheikh H, Brezar A, Dzwonek A, Yau L, Calder LA. Patient understanding of discharge instructions in the emergency department: do different patients need different approaches? Int J Emerg Med. 2018 Feb 8;11(1):5. [PMID: 29423767; PMCID: PMC5805670.] [DOI:10.1186/s12245-018-0164-0]
9. Burns D, Duckworth C, Lamas-Fernandez C, Leyland R, Wright M, Stammers M, et al. Impact of accurate initial discharge planning and inpatient transfers of care on discharge delays: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ open. 2025 May 30;15(5): e097563. [PMID: 40447438; PMCID: PMC12128396.] [DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-097563]
10. Rahayu U, Ibrahim K, Herman H. Application of Normalization Process Theory in Discharge Planning: A Systematic Review of Implementation Strategies and Outcomes. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2025 May 30; 18:2997-3008. [PMID: 40463584; PMCID: PMC12132630.] [DOI:10.2147/JMDH.S523495]
11. Gonçalves-Bradley DC, Lannin NA, Clemson L, Cameron ID, Shepperd S. Discharge planning from hospital. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 24;2(2):CD000313. [PMID: 35199849; PMCID: PMC8867723.] [DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD000313.pub6]
12. Goldman J, MacMillan K, Kitto S, Wu R, Silver I, Reeves S. Bedside nurses' roles in discharge collaboration in general internal medicine: Disconnected, disempowered and devalued? Nurs Inq. 2018 Jul;25(3): e12236. [PMID: 29607602.] [DOI:10.1111/nin.12236]
13. Darvishpour A, Mahdavi Fashtami S, Koochaki N, Nourbakhsh Kashki E. Situation analysis of implementation of the SMART safe discharge protocol: a study from East Guilan, Iran. BMC Nurs. 2025 Jul 21;24(1):958. [PMID: 40696343; PMCID: PMC12281763.] [DOI:10.1186/s12912-025-03069-x]
14. Marsall M, Hornung T, Bäuerle A, Weigl M. Quality of care transition, patient safety incidents, and patients' health status: a structural equation model on the complexity of the discharge process. BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 May 3;24(1):576. [PMID: 38702719; PMCID: PMC11069201.] [DOI:10.1186/s12913-024-11047-3]
15. Asadi N, Keshavarzi S, Kamyari N, Vatandost S. Investigating the Relationship between Patients' Discharge Readiness from the Nurses' Perspective and Post-discharge Outcomes. Journal of Health & Care. 2024;26(2):143-54. (Persian)
[URL: https://www.sid.ir/paper/1388122/en] [DOI:10.61186/jhc.26.2.143]
16. Reig-Garcia G, Bonmatí-Tomàs A, Suñer-Soler R, Malagón-Aguilera MC, Gelabert-Vilella S, Bosch-Farré C, et al. Evaluation and perceptions of a nursing discharge plan among nurses from different healthcare settings in Spain. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 May 28;22(1):710. [PMID: 35643517; PMCID: PMC9145205.] [DOI:10.1186/s12913-022-08109-9]
17. Salehi T, Haqqani H, Soltani M. Relationship Between Leadership Style of Nursing Managers and Caring Behaviors of Nurses in Selected Hospitals in Tehran, Iran. IJN. 2022;35(2):218-31.231. (Persian) [DOI:10.32598/ijn.35.2.3069]
18. Htay M, Whitehead D. The effectiveness of the role of advanced nurse practitioners compared to physician-led or usual care: A systematic review. Int J Nurs Stud Adv. 2021 Jun 17; 3:100034. [PMID: 38746729; PMCID: PMC11080477.] [DOI:10.1016/j.ijnsa.2021.100034]
19. Lo YC, Lu C, Chang YP, Wu SF. Examining the influence of organizational commitment on service quality through the lens of job involvement as a mediator and emotional labor and organizational climate as moderators. Heliyon. 2024 Jan 8;10(2): e24130. [PMID: 38293539; PMCID: PMC10826657.] [DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24130]
20. Al-Fatlawi MM, Ahmed S. Assessment of nurses' knowledge concerning discharge planning for patients with open heart surgery in cardiac center at Baghdad city. Int J Sci Res Publ. 2016;6(10):162-67.
[URL: https://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-1016.php?rp=P585888]
21. Heryyanoor H, Diana H, Restu PM, Dwi MA. Nurses' perceptions of discharge planning implementation: A descriptive qualitative study. The Journal of Palembang Nursing Studies. 2024;3(2):68-79.
[URL:https://ecentury.us/files/ijcem/13/2/ijcem0101591.pdf] [DOI:10.55048/jpns126]
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
