Why Are Medication Discharge Instruction Scores Still Low in Hospitals?

Discharge medication instructions remain a common challenge in hospitals because many patients leave without fully understanding medication changes, self-management, follow-up care, or warning signs that require medical attention. Trivedi et al. (2023) found that many hospitalized patients did not receive key discharge education, including self-management guidance and return precautions, and teach-back was rarely used. Mahajan et al. (2020) also reported that teach-back improved patients’ recall and understanding of discharge instructions. In addition, Tan et al. (2025) found that patients who understood the purpose of their discharge medications were less likely to be readmitted or to visit the emergency department, whereas contradictory medication information increased the risk of return to the hospital. These findings suggest that low medication discharge instruction scores may be related to inconsistent communication, lack of teach-back, and unclear written instructions. Standardized discharge education may improve patient understanding, satisfaction, and outcomes.

References

Mahajan, M., Hogewoning, J. A., Zewald, J. J. A., et al. (2020). The impact of teach-back on patient recall and understanding of discharge information in the emergency department: The Emergency Teach-Back (EM-TeBa) study. International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 13, 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-020-00306-9

Tan, E. C. K., Tran, B. N. H., Watson, D. E., & Dai, Z. (2025). The association between patient self-reported experiences with medication discharge counselling and hospital readmissions: A cross-sectional analysis of a population-based survey. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 21(1), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2024.09.007

Trivedi, S. P., Corderman, S., Berlinberg, E., Schoenthaler, A., & Horwitz, L. I. (2023). Assessment of patient education delivered at the time of hospital discharge. JAMA Internal Medicine, 183(5), 417–423. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.0070

Written By:

Juram Gorriceta, DNPc, MPA, BSN, RN, LSSHP
Advanced Simulation Nurse