“A Patient-Centered Approach”: The Rise of Hospital Discharge Lounges

Hospitals across the country are adopting a new strategy to improve patient experience and hospital efficiency: the discharge lounge. These are designated waiting areas where patients can safely spend time after being discharged as they await transportation home.

The goal of these lounges is to open up hospital beds more quickly by providing a comfortable space for recently discharged patients apart from active inpatient units. Patients can finalize paperwork, get discharge instructions, and wait for their ride in a living-room style environment with amenities like TV, refreshments, and phone chargers.

Nurses and other staff are available in the lounge to tie up any loose ends and answer last-minute questions before patients leave the hospital. This takes pressure off busy unit nurses and allows them to focus on active patients. It also prevents recently discharged patients from having to linger in their hospital beds or room when ready to leave.

By getting patients out of beds sooner, discharge lounges help alleviate hospital capacity issues like ED boarding and ambulance diversions. They allow for better patient flow through the hospital. Studies have shown implementing discharge lounges can even reduce average length of stay.

Patient experience is also improved with the lounge model. Waiting in a comfortable, welcoming space can ease the transition home. Additionally, the lounge staff provide an extra layer of education and support before discharge.

While the concept is growing in popularity, there are some concerns. Infection control and proper staffing are important to ensure safety. The costs of constructing and maintaining discharge lounges can also be a barrier for some hospitals.

Overall, hospital discharge lounges represent a patient-centered approach that can optimize throughput while improving the experience. As more hospitals leverage discharge lounges to manage patient volumes and improve care quality, it illustrates how small changes can have a big impact.

This piece was written by Joey Meneses, CTO at Akron Children’s Hospital.