Patients' views on their discharge from follow up in outpatient clinics: qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To discover the views of patients about their discharge from outpatient clinics, to detect any change in these perceptions over time, and explore how the discharge process might be improved for the patient.
DESIGN: A qualitative study comprising in-depth or semistructured interviews with patients 2 weeks and 3 months after discharge from an outpatient clinic.
SUBJECTS: 45 patients who had attended outpatient clinics on three or more occasions.
SETTING: Five general medical outpatient clinics from a Manchester provider trust. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Aspects of the discharge consultation valued by patients included confidence that the doctor knew and understood their case; clarity of the discharge process; an explanation of the reasons for discharge; information about treatment, future care, and the mechanism for re-referral; and being seen by doctors who sought their views and allowed time for questions and reflection.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients' views about their discharge changed over time and varied in relation to several factors, which included patients' perceptions of the discharge process, patients' expectations, the way in which the outpatient clinics were organised, and patients' relationships with, and confidence in, their general practitioners.