Discharge planning practice for patients with colorectal cancer in Thailand

Nurses play a vital role in discharge planning, especially for patients with colorectal cancer who require complex post-treatment care. However, there is a limited understanding of nurses’ discharge planning practice in oncology settings. This study aimed to examine current discharge planning practices for patients with colorectal cancer among oncology nurses in Thailand and associated factors.

Methods & Materials:

 A cross-sectional survey study was conducted between October and November 2020. Oncology nurses involved in colorectal cancer care were recruited across Thailand via Facebook and the Line application. A convenience and snowball sample of 206 nurses completed the online survey. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis.

The discharge planning activity with the lowest mean score was related to sharing discharge planning summaries and/or care plans with other healthcare facilities (M = 3.00, SD= 1.32), followed by providing information about returning to work (M= 3.06, SD= 1.28), financial resources (M= 3.12, SD= 1.26), and disease (M= 3.13, SD= 1.25). Factors significantly associated with discharge planning practice included nursing education levels, specialty training in cancer care, and experience in colorectal cancer care.

Despite the availability of discharge planning guidelines, Thai oncology nurses did not perform the full scope of discharge planning activities required for patients with colorectal cancer. Additional strategies, resources, and support systems should be established to facilitate nurses’ performance of the full scope of their discharge planning practice in oncology settings. Moreover, our results suggest the need for additional education and training in the form of enhanced curriculums and continuing education seminars addressing cancer care to advance nurses’ discharge planning for patients with colorectal cancer.