Planning your departure from the moment you arrive!
During an hospitalization, it is a priority for the healthcare team to get you back home as soon as you are in satisfactory and stable condition.
It is important for us to partner with you and your loved ones to plan your discharge as soon as you are admitted.
Why is it important?
When you no longer require hospital care, it is recommended that you continue to recover at home or elsewhere within the community.
Did you know that:
- Exposure to individuals who are sick can increase your risk of infection?
- Patients in urgent need of a hospital bed sometimes have to wait for someone to be discharged before they can get a bed?
High occupancy rates across our hospitals
When occupancy rates are high, our staff launches a number of initiatives to ensure that patients continue to receive safe, high quality care.
All sectors work together to make sure that the sickest patients are seen first and that everyone has access to care in a timely manner.
There is a chance that:
- You will receive care in the best location available, though it may not be the ideal location.
- You will be transferred to another room, another unit, a discharge lounge or, as a last resort, a hallway.
Regardless of where you are, you will continue to receive the very best care until your discharge from the hospital.
Discharge day
You must vacate your room before10:00 am so the bed can quickly be prepared for another patient waiting in the Emergency Department.
Discharge lounge*
You are welcome to use the discharge lounge for up to an hour while you wait to be picked-up.
A nurse on the ward will explain the transfer procedure to the lounge. A member of the healthcare team is assigned to the discharge lounge during operating hours.
*Only available at St. Mary’s Hospital Center and the Lakeshore General Hospital.
Checklist
To prepare for your discharge and departure
- Transportation :
- Who will accompany you? (if required)
How will you get home?
- Personal effects and services needed
- What essential goods and assistance will you need when you will be back home?
- Medication
- Which ones have been prescribed and how will you obtain them?
- Medical equipment
- Will you need them at home, and how will you get them?