Effect of the Development discharge planning Model of palliative Care and End -of -Life Patients, Dokkhamtai Hospital Phayao Province

Abstract

     This research and development aimed to develop and evaluate a discharge planning model for end-of-life palliative care patients in inpatient wards at Dokkhamtai Hospital, Phayao Province. The study was conducted to improve the quality of care and enhance the readiness of patients, families, and healthcare teams in managing end-of-life care at home. A research and development design was employed with four phases: 1) review of existing discharge plans and medical records, 2) development of research instruments, 3) implementation of the discharge planning model, and 4) evaluation of outcomes. The sample consisted of 26 professional nurses working in inpatient wards and 34 primary caregivers of end-of-life patients. Research instruments included knowledge and practice assessment forms for professional nurses and a practice assessment form for primary caregivers. All instruments were validated for content validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, and inferential statistics using a paired t-test.

     The results showed that professional nurses' knowledge increased from 8.76 to 9.34 points (87.6% to 93.4%) and their practice increased from 7.96 to 8.76 points (79.6% to 87.6%), although the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, scores remained at high levels, reflecting quality improvement in care processes. Primary caregivers' practice in discharge planning increased significantly from 7.97 to 9.06 points (79.7% to 90.6%) (p < 0.001).