The discharge packet is the document most people sign without reading closely, because discharge day is busy and everyone wants to get out the door. Read it anyway. It becomes your task list for the first weeks at home, and it is the only written record of what the hospital expects you to do.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Find the lines that become your job

Go through the packet with a pen. Mark every line that starts with a verb you will have to carry out: lift, turn, check, call, bring, keep, return, sign. Each one is a task that now belongs on your day sheet. If a line says she should not be left alone for a period of time, or should not bear weight in a certain way, write it on the day sheet at the hour it matters, not only in the file.

Separate the lines that need a nurse's answer

Some lines will be unclear. Do not guess. Ask the discharge nurse to explain, in plain words, what each unclear line means at home: what she can do on her own, what you do for her, and what would mean calling the doctor the same day. Write the answer next to the line, along with the time you asked and the name of the person who answered. This is not medical advice from this desk. It is you getting the hospital's own instructions in a form you can use.

Check the equipment and supply orders

Packets often list equipment that was ordered, a supply list, or a line saying a company will call you. Confirm each item: what was ordered, who is delivering it, and whether someone needs to be home for the delivery. If something is supposed to arrive and nothing has come by the first night, you need to know who to call and what number to use before you are standing in a dark hallway with no answer.

Check the follow-up lines

Look for every appointment, therapy visit, or test the packet names. Write each one on your calendar with its phone number. Note which ones say a referral or order must come first. A missing referral is a common reason a visit gets cancelled at the front desk, so ask the discharge team who sends it and when.

Keep the packet in one place

Put the packet in one folder with the medication list the hospital gives you, any discharge summary you receive, and the contact sheet. Keep a copy in the car. Give a copy to any helper who will be in the house. The folder is what you hand to the next person when you cannot be the one who remembers.

Ask three questions before you leave the unit

Ask what should happen first at home, who you call if it does not, and which lines in this packet you should look at first. You will be tired, and the questions still need asking, because nobody else will ask them for you.

For the order to read these desk pieces in, see Start Here: A Reading Order.

The Discharge Packet Is a Task List: What to Read Before You Leave the Unit