The Lived Experience of the Hospital Discharge “Plan”: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of Complex Patients

BACKGROUND: Transitions in care are a high-risk time for patients. Complex patients account for the largest proportion of healthcare costs but experience lower quality and discontinuity of care. The experiences of complex patients can be used to identify gaps in hospital discharge practices and design interventions to improve outcomes. METHODS: We used a case study approach with serial interviews and chart abstraction to explore the hospital …