---
title: Hospital Discharge Folders Create Happier, Better-Educated Patients
description: See the many ways that hospital discharge folders help educate patients and lower re-admittance.
image: https://www.dataguide.com/hs-fs/file-662358722-jpg/images/discharge-folders5.jpg
---

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## [Hospital Discharge Folders Create Happier, Better-Educated Patients](https://www.dataguide.com/Print-Blog/bid/106186/Hospital-Discharge-Folders-Create-Happier-Better-Educated-Patients)

Posted by [Chris Higgins](https://www.dataguide.com/print-blog/author/chris-higgins) on Fri, Apr 11, 2014 @ 07:00 AM

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When your hospital or clinic processes dozens of discharges a day, it's easy to forget just how ![discharge folders](https://www.dataguide.com/hs-fs/file-662358722-jpg/images/discharge-folders5.jpg?width=378&height=252&name=discharge-folders5.jpg)intimidating (or downright overwhelming) the entire [discharge process](https://www.dataguide.com/Print-Blog/bid/103665/Transition-Folder-Key-Part-Of-Improving-Hospital-Discharge-Process) is for each individual patient.

Most patients lack basic knowledge of medical issues, so the entire experience is strange and disorienting: they're entirely at the mercy of hospital staff, and they know it. Patients facing a long road to recovery may be downright scared of the days ahead.

Then, to top things off, many post-op discharges are still woozy from medication or anesthetics. They may not be *able *to understand their instructions, even if they're still nodding "Yes, I understand." Yet, an overworked desk nurse may not notice the signs of someone blindly agreeing out of habit.

Ultimately, there is a single element that separates a scared dischargee from one who feels (relatively) secure about their treatment: information.

**Communication Makes The Difference In Patient Discharge andTransitioning**

It almost seems like it should go without saying, but better communication leads to more successful transitions. In fact, hospitals and clinics around the nation are discovering that simple communication strategies based around patient information packets make the difference between happy and scared patients.

After all, as medical treatment becomes more complex, so too become the burdens on patients in the following days and weeks. It's not unusual for patients to be sent home with instructions that have to be followed for months into the future. Make a mistake, the patient knows, and they could be back for another unpleasant and expensive hospitalization.

So is it any wonder that [patients crave hard information](https://www.dataguide.com/Print-Blog/bid/103284/Transition-Folders-Help-Hospitals-Improve-the-Patient-Experience) more than anything?

That's why [hospital discharge folders make sense for hospitals looking to ease their patient transitions](https://www.dataguide.com/discharge-folder-discharge-folders/). They create a perfect informative and educational tool that will create happier patients today, and healthier patients further down the road of recovery.

**Patient Discharge Folders: All The Facts, In One Place**

It's not hard to see the many ways a good discharge folder keeps patients informed:

**1. Everything patients need for the next stage of their recovery:**

Once a hospital has systems in place that include a discharge or transition folder it ensures that patients have all the information they need in one well organized place and they know exactly what they have to do to continue their recovery.

The first couple of weeks after leaving the hospital are a critical time especially for patients recovering from complicated procedures. A discharge folder provides detailed instructions, nutrition information, medication details, and important contact information at the hospital should the patient have questions that aren't answered. 

**2. Precision organization:**

Custom discharge folders can be partitioned in numerous ways, including side pockets, plenty of organizing tabs, and potentially even a slot for data discs. Plus, a well-organized folder naturally encourages patients to put individual pages back in their proper pocket.

**3. Sort by time:![hospital discharge folders](https://www.dataguide.com/hs-fs/file-658332288-jpg/images/hospital-discharge-folders.jpg?width=391&height=260&name=hospital-discharge-folders.jpg)**

While the obvious use for tabbed folders is separating different kinds of instructions - such as sub-folders for "diet" and "medications" - they're just as useful for creating a time-based schedule. Tabs marked according to future dates will precisely guide a patient down their recovery roadmap.

**4. Secure fastening:**

Unlike typical "loose leaf" manilla folders, accordion transition folders have closing velcro flaps, which keep the materials secure inside. When even a single lost page might be disastrous for a patient, this further protects them in the months ahead.

**5. Useful general information:**

Since virtually any surface on an accordion folder can be custom-printed, the folder itself can be part of your information package. Phone numbers, maps, calendars, FAQs, first aid tips, and more can all be included as sidebars or custom copy on the folder itself.

If your folder is part of the presentation, it's more likely to be retained.

**Make Happy, Healthy Patients A Reality**

It's really not so hard to ease your patients' fears upon discharge. A single folder, costing at most a few dollars per patient, can [prevent needless re-admissions](https://www.dataguide.com/Print-Blog/bid/92425/Discharge-Folder-Saves-Hospitals-A-Fortune) and even save lives. It also greatly improves the chances the patient will provide positive responses when asked about discharge on their HCAHPS survey. 

[![dataguide 3 ways discharge folders help reduce hospital readmissions](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1143/02408934-68e0-4b4a-969c-149a662fce06.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1143/02408934-68e0-4b4a-969c-149a662fce06)

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