ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Health Serv.
Sec. Implementation Science
Implementing a patient-oriented discharge summary to improve hospital-to-home transitions in older adults: lessons from a hybrid study
Provisionally accepted
Joanie Pellet1*
Raquel Solano Araujo1Saganah Kathirkamu2
Roger Hilfiker1Nicole Bartholdi3
Cedric Mabire1- 1Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare (IUFRS), Lausanne university hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 2Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 3Patient research partner, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Introduction: Hospital discharge is a vulnerable transition for older adults who often leave with limited understanding of their health and care instructions. This study evaluated the implementation and outcomes the Patient-Oriented Discharge Summary (PODS), a one-page co-designed tool to support hospital-to-home transitions. Methods: Using a hybrid type II design, we combined a quasi-experimental pre–post study with an implementation evaluation in a Swiss acute care unit. Patients aged ≥50 years discharged home were allocated to control (n = 55) or intervention (PODS; n = 56). The primary outcome was perceived quality of care transition measured using the Care Transition Measure (CTM-15). Implementation outcomes were assessed through surveys, focus groups and interviews with healthcare professionals. Results: PODS participants reported higher CTM-15 scores than controls (74.4 vs 62.3, p < 0.001). Implementation findings showed that the PODS structured discharge teaching and supported dialogue but its blank, collaboratively completed format led to variable completeness and limited usefulness at home. Persistent barriers included workload, workflow integration, and uneven interprofessional engagement. Conclusions: PODS improved perceived quality of care transition, primarily through the relational and educational processes it structures rather than the written document alone. While valuable, PODS alone appears insufficient; combining structured tools with contextual and organizational supports may enhance effectiveness.
Keywords: Caregivers involvement, Hospitaldischarge, Hybrid type IIdesign, implementation science, older adults, Patient-Centered Care, Patient-Oriented Discharge Summary, Transitional care
Received: 22 Oct 2025; Accepted: 08 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pellet, Solano Araujo, Kathirkamu, Hilfiker, Bartholdi and Mabire. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Joanie Pellet
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