Hospital Discharge Planning: A Family Checklist for Eastern NC

Discharge day moves fast. The case manager hands over a stack of papers, a follow-up appointment date, sometimes a prescription, and within an hour your loved one is in your car. The work happens before and after that hour. This checklist is built around the Eastern NC discharge patterns we see most often from ECU Health (Greenville), Nash UNC (Rocky Mount), Cape Fear Valley (Fayetteville), Onslow Memorial (Jacksonville), and CarolinaEast (New Bern).

Three days before discharge: ask the case manager for an estimated discharge date and which agency, if any, has been referred for home health. Request a written list of follow-up appointments and any equipment orders (walker, bedside commode, oxygen). Submit a home care request so a non-medical caregiver can be ready on day one.

The day before discharge: confirm the discharge time and who will pick up the patient. Pick up new prescriptions or confirm same-day delivery. Set the bedroom up on the main floor if stairs are a problem. Test the path from the front door to the bathroom for trip hazards.

Day of discharge: bring comfortable clothes and a phone charger. Get a written copy of the discharge summary, medication list, and any new diagnoses. Ask which symptoms should trigger a call to the doctor or a return to the ER, and write down the after-hours number. Confirm your caregiver's arrival time at home.

The first 72 hours at home: keep the medication list visible on the fridge. Stick to the new schedule for meals, walks, and bathroom trips. Don't introduce visitors yet — fatigue is the #1 cause of early setbacks. Make sure someone is in the house overnight, even if just to listen.

What to watch for in the first two weeks: new confusion, falls, refusing food or fluids, sudden swelling or shortness of breath, fever, or a sudden change in pain pattern. Call the doctor early — most discharge teams would rather hear from you on day three than be surprised on day ten.