Abstract:
Critical illness is a life-threatening health problem. When a patients condition recovers and is stable, they can be transferred to a general ward where, in the first 72 hours problems sometimes cause ICU readmission and adverse events. This quasi-experimental research used a two group post-test only design to study the results of a comprehensive discharge planning program from the ICU and its effects on adverse events and readmissions to ICU. A sample was purposively selected and comprised of 72 critically ill adult patients who were admitted to the medical intensive care unit 3 of Nakornping Hospital during December 2020 to January 2022. The participants were separated into a control group or an experimental group with severity of illness and age equal for both groups. Consequently, there were 36 patients in the control group and a similar amount in the experimental group. The research instruments included the comprehensive discharge planning program from the ICU, a model of nursing activities modified according to Kachari et al. (2019) with the previous reported conceptual frameworks of Mckeehan (1981) and Naylor et al. (1994). The researcher then used the research instruments and the assessment form to collect and analyze data by applying Chi-square Test Statistics. The results of this study showed that there were significant differences in adverse events between the experimental group and the control group. There was a statistically significant reduction in respiratory problems in the experimental group (p < 0.05) and a statistically significant reduction in pneumonia in the experimental group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups for ICU readmission within 72 hours. This study shows that a comprehensive discharge planning program produces good results. It can reduce the adverse events after discharge from the intensive care unit within 72 hours. Therefore, a comprehensive discharge planning program should be applied for use in intensive care units as a guide to care and planning for discharge.