Hospital Discharge

What happens when I am ready to go home?

When you are stable after recovering in the hospital for several days, you will be discharged from the hospital. But before you leave, you will receive teachings from various healthcare providers so that you can continue your recovery at home. Here are some of the providers you will see while you are in the hospital.

• Physical Therapists will teach you how to safely do physical activities after heart surgery. They will walk with you in hospital hallways to decide how much exercise you can do. A physical therapist will decide if you need a walker, cane, wheelchair, or other equipment to help you walk at home.
• Occupational Therapists will teach you how to do daily activities such as changing clothes while protecting your heart. This is called following “sternal precautions.” After your chest tubes are removed, occupational therapists will teach you how to shower safely. They may advise you to get a shower chair, surgical bra, or other equipment to help your recovery at home.
• Pharmacist will give you a list of medicines you will be going home with. A pharmacist will teach you what the medicines are for, when and how to take them, and what other foods or medicines not to take at the same time. It is very important that you understand your medicines before you go home.
• Social work will visit you to ask if you need any financial or social support at home. If you need to stay in skilled nursing facility for a while, or to have physical or occupational therapy after discharge, your social worker will help you with this.
• Advanced Practice Providers will oversee your care during your recovery in hospital. They will talk directly with your surgeons about your care. They will meet with you to go over wound care, activity, weight lifting, and other discharge instructions. APPs will send your prescriptions to your pharmacy. If needed, they will work with your social worker to help with your transfer to skilled nursing facility.
• Clinic nurses will help set up your follow-up clinic visits. Before discharge, they will give you discharge teaching and a purple folder that includes your discharge instructions, medicines list, and educational materials. They will also give you a number to contact them if you have more questions after discharge

When you complete all the discharge teachings, your bedside nurse will remove your IV lines and talk with your family and friends about how you will get home. The discharge process can sometimes take a long time, so you may not leave the hospital until early or even late afternoon on your discharge day. Remember to pick up your prescriptions at the pharmacy before going home. You will need to take these medicines every day during your recovery at home.