A hospital discharge is a process a patient goes through when leaving a hospital after treatment. It involves several steps to ensure a patient is discharged safely. These include a healthcare provider confirming the patient no longer needs to be in the hospital to receive care, explaining the paperwork thoroughly to the patient, reviewing medications and setting follow-up appointments.
Premature discharge is when a patient is released before they are ready to leave a medical setting or when all the required steps are not followed.
Here is what to know about it:
Why would a hospital discharge a patient who is not medically ready to leave?
Overcrowding is one of the reasons some hospitals do this. A hospital may admit more patients than it can hold. Accordingly, they may lack beds. This can pressure them to discharge other patients prematurely to create space.
Mix-ups between patients can also lead to premature discharge. For example, if the lab results of two patients are mixed up, a physician may believe a patient is doing better and, in turn, discharge them.
Further, although uncommon, a medical device can give wrong readings due to poor calibration, contamination or human error, leading to premature discharge. For example, a blood pressure cuff can give inaccurate readings, which can cause a doctor to discharge a patient believing they are medically stable.
Is it considered medical malpractice?
Premature discharge that led to harm might give grounds for a medical malpractice claim. If you or your loved one suffered harm after a hospital prematurely discharged you, get legal help to understand if you have a valid case for compensation.
