Exploring consumer and healthcare professional perspectives on discharge medicine communication and solutions for safer transitions of care.

Oldfield, LE; Yong, F; Baysari, M; Foot, H; Manias, E; Scott, I; Sim, TF; Keijzers, G; Morgan, M; Mullan, B; Norman, R; Jackson, C; Hattingh, L

Exploring consumer and healthcare professional perspectives on discharge medicine communication and solutions for safer transitions of care.

Oldfield, LE Yong, F

Baysari, M Foot, H Manias, E Scott, I Sim, TF Keijzers, G Morgan, M Mullan, B Norman, R Jackson, C Hattingh, L

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Publisher:: Springer Nature
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: BMC Health Serv Res, 2025, 26, (1), pp. 98
Issue Date:: 2025-12-16

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Oldfield, LE
dc.contributor.author	Yong, F https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4878-7565
dc.contributor.author	Baysari, M
dc.contributor.author	Foot, H
dc.contributor.author	Manias, E
dc.contributor.author	Scott, I
dc.contributor.author	Sim, TF
dc.contributor.author	Keijzers, G
dc.contributor.author	Morgan, M
dc.contributor.author	Mullan, B
dc.contributor.author	Norman, R
dc.contributor.author	Jackson, C
dc.contributor.author	Hattingh, L
dc.date.accessioned	2026-02-03T09:17:58Z
dc.date.available	2025-12-10
dc.date.available	2026-02-03T09:17:58Z
dc.date.issued	2025-12-16
dc.identifier.citation	BMC Health Serv Res, 2025, 26, (1), pp. 98
dc.identifier.issn	1472-6963
dc.identifier.issn	1472-6963
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/192902
dc.description.abstract	BACKGROUND: The period immediately following hospital discharge is a time of heightened vulnerability for patients compounded by poor communication and information transfer between hospital and primary care healthcare professionals. These gaps contribute to medication-related harm, which accounts for a substantial proportion of preventable readmissions and emergency department presentations. This study explored the perspectives of consumers and healthcare professionals on discharge medicine information handover to inform the development of an intervention to improve transitions of care. METHODS: Qualitative methodology was used through focus group discussions in Southeast Queensland, Australia, between March-August 2024. Participants included hospital-based doctors, nurses, and pharmacists; primary care healthcare professionals (general practitioners, community pharmacists, and credentialled pharmacists); and consumers and carers with experience of post-discharge medicine management. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Rigour was enhanced through iterative coding cycles, reflexive team discussions, and triangulation across diverse stakeholder groups. RESULTS: Seventy-five participants contributed to 12 focus groups. Three overarching themes with eight subthemes were identified. First, discharge documentation was frequently delayed, incomplete, or poorly structured, with workforce constraints and fragmented digital systems compounding these issues. Second, primary care providers often received no notification of discharge information, with inaccurate contact details and absent verification processes leading to missed or delayed follow-up. Third, patients reported insufficient or unclear medicine information at discharge, limiting their confidence in post-discharge self-management. Proposed solutions included greater pharmacist involvement in discharge planning, decoupling discharge medicine lists from discharge summaries, automated alerts to confirm receipt of information, improved use of digital health systems, and enhanced patient/carer engagement. CONCLUSION: This study highlights persistent challenges in the transfer of medicine information at hospital discharge at system, healthcare professional, and patient levels. Participants identified practical strategies to address these gaps, including pharmacist-led interventions, digital solutions, and patient-centred discharge practices. These findings will inform the design of a multifaceted intervention to improve medicine handover and reduce 30-day hospital readmissions due to medication-related harm. Broader system investment in workforce capacity, digital integration, and patient engagement will be essential to promote safer transitions of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12624000480583p, registered 19 April 2024, https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12624000480583p.aspx .
dc.format	Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Springer Nature
dc.relation.ispartof	BMC Health Serv Res
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1186/s12913-025-13900-5
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0807 Library and Information Studies, 1110 Nursing, 1117 Public Health and Health Services
dc.subject.classification	Health Policy & Services
dc.subject.classification	4203 Health services and systems
dc.subject.classification	4205 Nursing
dc.subject.classification	4206 Public health
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Patient Discharge
dc.subject.mesh	Focus Groups
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Queensland
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Qualitative Research
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Communication
dc.subject.mesh	Continuity of Patient Care
dc.subject.mesh	Patient Handoff
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Attitude of Health Personnel
dc.subject.mesh	Health Personnel
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Patient Discharge
dc.subject.mesh	Focus Groups
dc.subject.mesh	Attitude of Health Personnel
dc.subject.mesh	Communication
dc.subject.mesh	Qualitative Research
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Health Personnel
dc.subject.mesh	Continuity of Patient Care
dc.subject.mesh	Queensland
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Patient Handoff
dc.title	Exploring consumer and healthcare professional perspectives on discharge medicine communication and solutions for safer transitions of care.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	26
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	0807 Library and Information Studies
utslib.for	1110 Nursing
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-02-03T09:17:56Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	26
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The period immediately following hospital discharge is a time of heightened vulnerability for patients compounded by poor communication and information transfer between hospital and primary care healthcare professionals. These gaps contribute to medication-related harm, which accounts for a substantial proportion of preventable readmissions and emergency department presentations. This study explored the perspectives of consumers and healthcare professionals on discharge medicine information handover to inform the development of an intervention to improve transitions of care. METHODS: Qualitative methodology was used through focus group discussions in Southeast Queensland, Australia, between March-August 2024. Participants included hospital-based doctors, nurses, and pharmacists; primary care healthcare professionals (general practitioners, community pharmacists, and credentialled pharmacists); and consumers and carers with experience of post-discharge medicine management. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Rigour was enhanced through iterative coding cycles, reflexive team discussions, and triangulation across diverse stakeholder groups. RESULTS: Seventy-five participants contributed to 12 focus groups. Three overarching themes with eight subthemes were identified. First, discharge documentation was frequently delayed, incomplete, or poorly structured, with workforce constraints and fragmented digital systems compounding these issues. Second, primary care providers often received no notification of discharge information, with inaccurate contact details and absent verification processes leading to missed or delayed follow-up. Third, patients reported insufficient or unclear medicine information at discharge, limiting their confidence in post-discharge self-management. Proposed solutions included greater pharmacist involvement in discharge planning, decoupling discharge medicine lists from discharge summaries, automated alerts to confirm receipt of information, improved use of digital health systems, and enhanced patient/carer engagement. CONCLUSION: This study highlights persistent challenges in the transfer of medicine information at hospital discharge at system, healthcare professional, and patient levels. Participants identified practical strategies to address these gaps, including pharmacist-led interventions, digital solutions, and patient-centred discharge practices. These findings will inform the design of a multifaceted intervention to improve medicine handover and reduce 30-day hospital readmissions due to medication-related harm. Broader system investment in workforce capacity, digital integration, and patient engagement will be essential to promote safer transitions of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12624000480583p, registered 19 April 2024, https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12624000480583p.aspx .

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/192902