Parent Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale: Psychometrics and Association With Postdischarge Outcomes

J Pediatr Health Care. 2020 Jan-Feb;34(1):30-37. doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2019.06.011. Epub 2019 Sep 29.

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to validate the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS) for use with parents of hospitalized children. PedRHDS is a structured tool for a discharge readiness assessment before pediatric discharge.

Methods: Using combined data from four studies with 417 parents, psychometric testing and item reduction proceeded with principal component analysis for factor structure delineation, Cronbach's alpha for reliability estimation, and regression analysis for predictive validity.

Results: A 23-item PedRHDS retained the a priori factor structure. Reliability ranged from 0.73 to 0.85 for the 23-item and 10- and 8-item short scales. PedRHDS (all forms) was associated with postdischarge coping difficulty (explaining 12%-16% of variance) and readmission (odds ratio = 0.71-0.80).

Discussion: The PedRHDS and both short forms (PedRHDS-SF10 and PedRHDS-SF8) are reliable and valid measures of parental discharge readiness that can be used as outcome metrics of hospital care and risk indicators for postdischarge coping difficulty and readmission.

Keywords: Discharge readiness; hospital discharge; parent; pediatric; psychometrics.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child, Hospitalized*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Patient Discharge*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results