When someone is discharged from hospital, the hospital team send information to the patient’s General Practitioner (GP). Previous research has found that GPs would welcome clearer communication from hospitals concerning patients who have complex care needs or who might be at risk of being admitted to hospital again.
Identification of these patients while in hospital, and communication of this information to their GP when they return to home, enables continuity and coordination of care. GPs can then offer the chance to have advance care planning discussions, with patients and the people close to them, to identify what is most important to them and what their preferences are for their future care. This includes whether or not they would want to return to hospital, and in which circumstances.
The aim of this research is to understand what information should be shared with GPs after a hospital stay, and how it might best be shared.
This study is funded by the NIHR Doctoral Fellowship Programme (NIHR300928). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.