Study: Docs Lack Patient Hospital Data

When patients are moved from hospitals to the care of their doctors, the transfer of information is often lacking, a new U.S. study says.

Doctors caring for patients after hospital discharge may lack critical information about diagnoses, treatment, consultations, pending tests and post-hospital follow-up, according to an article by Emory University researchers appearing in the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The analysis of 55 physicians found only 3 percent of primary care physicians reported being involved in discussions about patient discharge, the study found.

When communication of those details is lacking, it could have serious implications for patients’ health, the authors write.

Giving patients computer-generated discharge summaries with standard features could aid communication between hospital clinicians and general practice doctors, the study says.