Graduation Semester and Year

Spring 2026

Language

ENGLISH

Document Type

DNP Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Thomas Dombrowsky

Abstract

Thirty-day post-discharge psychiatric readmission remains a significant challenge, with a reported 24% 30-day readmission rate at a South Texas inpatient psychiatric facility. This eight-week quality improvement project aimed to reduce readmission rates by implementing a comprehensive post-discharge care bundle. The initiative followed the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework. Interventions included standardized discharge planning, medication reconciliation, timely outpatient and telehealth services, weekly follow-up calls for 4 weeks, and coordination of community resources. The PICOTS question examined whether this standardized post-discharge approach, compared to usual care, could lower 30-day readmissions among adults aged 18 and above discharged from an inpatient psychiatric setting. Forty-two patients were monitored for 30 days after discharge. Descriptive analysis revealed a reduction in the 30-day readmission rate to 14.3% following the intervention. The weekly trend analysis indicated improved continuity of care throughout implementation. These results suggest that a structured, interdisciplinary post-discharge care bundle is a practical and sustainable method to enhance transitional psychiatric care and decrease preventable readmissions. Further efforts to implement and evaluate long-term outcomes are recommended.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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