Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-Parent Form in parents of preterm infants

Background: The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS)-Parent Form shows satisfactory reli-ability and validity to assess the readiness of parents to take care of their children discharged from hospitals in Western countries. However, the reliability and validity of this instrument has not been evaluated in Chinese populations.Objectives: Evaluate the psychometric features of the RHDS-Parent Form among Chinese parents of preterm infants. Methods: The RHDS-Parent Form was translated into a Chinese version following an international in-strument translation guideline. A total of 168 parents with preterm infants were recruited from the neonatal intensive care units of two tertiary-level hospitals in China. The internal consistency of this measure was assessed using the Cronbach's a coefficient;confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the construct validity;and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to report the convergent validity. Results: The Chinese version of RHDS (C-RHDS)-Parent Form included 22 items with 4 subscales, ac-counting for 56.71% of the total variance. The C-RHDS-Parent Form and its subscales showed good reliability (Cronbach's a values 0.78-0.92). This measure and its subscales showed positive correlations with the score of Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale. Conclusion: The factor structure of C-RHDS-Parent Form is partially consistent with the original English version. Future studies are needed to explore the factors within this measure before it is widely used in Chinese clinical care settings.

Survey on the Readiness for Hospital Discharge and Its Influencing Factors among Patients with Cardiac Valve Replacement

Background: There are about 200,000 patients in China who need to undergo valve replacement surgery each year. With the promotion and application of the Fast-Track Surgery concept and the increase in hospital bed turnover rate, the average hospital stay of patients undergoing CVR surgery has been significantly shortened, and thus the patients are still in the recovery stage rather than fully recovered when they are discharged from the hospital. Good preparation for discharge can improve patients’ post-discharge self-care ability, reduce the risk of re-admission, and save medical resources. Objective: To describe the status of readiness for hospital discharge among postoperative patients that have undergone CVR, and to explore its influencing factors. Methods: The general information questionnaire, the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale and the Quality of discharge Teaching Scale were utilized to investigate 130 post-CVR patients admitted to the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department of a tertiary A-Class hospital in Guangzhou from July 2019 to October 2020. Results: The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale was at a moderate level with a total score of 163.88 ± 39.082, while the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale was also at a moderate level with a total score of 194.09 ± 40.643. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the quality of discharge guidance, gender, and occupation were the influencing factors of CVR patient’s readiness for hospital discharge. These three variables jointly explained 45.8% of the total variation. Conclusion: The level of CVR patients’ readiness for hospital discharge is at a moderate level, and the quality of discharge guidance positively affects patients’ readiness for discharge. Therefore, in clinical work, attention should be paid to patient discharge guidance. Personalized health education should be implemented to improve the quality of patient guidance.