Discharge instructions for emergency department patients: what should we provide?

Effective communication between the physician and patient is required for o ptimum post-emergency department management. Written emergency department d ischarge instructions, when used to complement verbal instructions, have be en shown to improve communication and patient management. This review exami nes the purpose, advantages, and disadvantages of three commonly used types of discharge instruction. The desirable features of discharge instructions are described. It is recommended that structured, pre-formatted instructio n sheets be provided to all patients discharged to home, that emergency dep artments establish uniform policies to promote best practice in communicati on, and that the use of discharge instructions be considered as an emergenc y department performance indicator.