PhD defence A.E. (Amber) Hoek

Discharge instructions are an important part of care in the Emergency Department (ED). Factors such as stress after an (acute) event prior to a visit to the ED or limited time for giving discharge instructions can hinder the recall of discharge instructions. This can lead to reduced compliance, but also reduced patient safety after discharge, or unnecessary extra visits to the hospital or general practitioner (GP).

The manner of discharge instructions influences the recall of the instructions. Although verbal information by a treating doctor or nurse remains an important part of the discharge instruction, providing verbal discharge instructions alone is not sufficient. Adding a video or written information to the discharge instructions after an emergency room visit showed promising results.
Also for a "simple" advice about analgesics use, it appears that the recall of discharge instructions by patients is significantly improved if written information is also provided. Finally, this thesis specifically investigated patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) who were treated in the ED. In this group of patients, adding written and / or video information to the discharge instructions led to an increase in the reported post-concussion symptoms. However, it also resulted in fewer additional visits to the hospital and GP and higher patient satisfaction.

Adding written or video information to verbal discharge instructions leads to better care for the individual patient and thereby also for total healthcare.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall or in the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.