Daily Care Circle
Hospital-to-home

5 Questions to Ask Before Discharge

A plain-language conversation guide for the day someone is leaving a hospital, rehab, or skilled nursing stay.

1. What should the first 72 hours look like?

  • Ask the team to describe day one at home in order: getting inside, meals, bathroom trips, sleep, movement, wound or skin care, and rest.
  • Ask which tasks are most important in the first three days and which tasks can wait.
  • Write down any limits on stairs, lifting, bathing, driving, visitors, or being left alone.

2. What changed with medicines and supplies?

  • Ask which medicines are new, stopped, changed, or taken only as needed.
  • Ask what to do if a dose is missed, a prescription is not ready, or the instructions on the bottle do not match the discharge papers.
  • Confirm supplies before leaving: dressings, gloves, incontinence items, oxygen, tubes, special food, or equipment instructions.

3. What help and equipment must be ready at home?

  • Ask about help with bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, meals, stairs, walking, memory cues, and medication setup.
  • Ask whether a walker, cane, shower chair, bedside commode, raised toilet seat, grab bar, bed rail, or delivery is needed before arrival.
  • Confirm who orders each item, when it should arrive, and who to call if it does not.

4. What warning signs mean we should call?

  • Ask what changes are expected and what changes are not: fever, pain, breathing, confusion, falls, bleeding, swelling, wound changes, or not eating or drinking.
  • Ask who to call during the day, who to call after hours, and when to use emergency services.
  • Put the phone numbers on one page before the discharge folder gets scattered.

5. Who owns each next step?

  • Confirm follow-up appointments, lab work, home health visits, therapy, transportation, paperwork, and pharmacy pickup.
  • Ask for instructions in plain language if anything feels unclear.
  • Before leaving, name the person responsible for each task. A plan is stronger when it has names, dates, and phone numbers.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Follow the discharge team's instructions.

Sources consulted

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Free caregiver resources from Daily Care Circle. General information only; follow medical and care-team instructions.