Project RED (Re-Engineered Discharge) – Boston University Medical Center
Implementing Re-Engineered Hospital Discharges (Project RED)
Frequently Asked Questions from the AHRQ website – June 2009
“The Re-Engineered Hospital Discharge project, known as Project RED, was developed by Brian Jack, M.D., Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Boston University and Timothy Bickmore, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the College of Computer and Information Science at Northeastern University, through a Partnerships in Implementing Patient Safety grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The project is designed to re-engineer the hospital workflow process and improve patient safety by using a nurse discharge advocate who follows 11 discrete, mutually reinforcing action steps shown to improve the discharge process and decrease hospital readmissions. Patients who have a clear understanding of their after-hospital care instructions, including how to take their medicines and when to make follow-up appointments with their doctors, are 30 percent less likely to be readmitted or visit the emergency department than patients who lack this information, according to a study by Dr. Jack that appeared in the February 3, 2009, Annals of Internal Medicine.
The Project RED toolkit includes the following:
Training Manual—This workbook for health professionals details how to deliver a safe and effective hospital discharge.
After Hospital Care Plan Sample Form—The After Hospital Care Plan is designed to clearly present the information needed by patients to prepare them for the days between discharge and the first visit with their ambulatory care physician.
Computerized Workstation to Print the After Hospital Care Plan—This document describes the computerized workstation and the process used to create and print the After Hospital Care Plan.”
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