Discharge Planning
As you prepare to send your patient home, follow the steps below to ensure a safe discharge.
Modify Home Medications
Use the Long Term Management page to determine the recommended home regimen for your patient.
Additional Education
For additional asthma education to review discharge medications and teach spacer use with the patient and family:
1. Reach out to our asthma educator (Natalia Almonte) on Epic chat
AND/OR
2. Place an Inpatient Pharmacy Consult for our pharmacy team
Update the
Asthma Action Plan
Update your patient's asthma action plan in the Pediatric Forms section of EPIC. Use PictureAAP for a pictorial version of the asthma action plan.
PCP Appointment
Use the hospital discharge follow up order to schedule a PCP appointment.
Asthma Education
Review signs of increased work of breathing and discharge medications including steroids, controller medications, rescue medications, and spacer use.
Subspecialty Appointment
If applicable, refer your patient to the asthma center or pulmonology and use the hospital discharge follow up order to schedule an appointment.
Address Environmental Triggers
Review asthma triggers with your patient and their family and discuss ways to reduce the risk of future asthma exacerbations. For patients with pests or mold in the household, utilize the integrated pest management referral system (see patient resources tab) and provide the family with a letter using the .housinghealth dotphrase.
Medication Access
When possible, confirm with the pharmacy whether or not the medications prescribed are covered by your patient's insurance.
Meds to Beds
When possible, help your families out by requesting meds to beds from the CHAM pharmacy or picking up their medications and delivering them to their room. Nurses, please use the dotphrase .chamnursingasthmadc to document if meds to beds was completed on discharge.