UCCDIP (User Centred Critical Care Discharge Information Pack) is an information pack produced as part of a research project led by Suzanne Bench of Kings College London to help improve the transition between ICU and the general ward.
An important element of the UCCDIP pack is the inclusion of a patient discharge summary. The idea is that critical care staff write a lay summary for the patient explaining what happened to them in critical care. The UCCDIP research showed that 54% of patients had little or no understanding of their time in critical care. This lack of understanding and confusion due to delirium and their medication means that patients can be very distressed after their treatment. A discharge summary can be the first step in helping them understand what has just happened to them. It takes less than 15 minutes for staff to do, but may make a huge difference to patients and their recovery.
The Critical Care patient discharge summary training pack (to help Critical Care staff write these summaries) is available as a free resource that you can download without cost and may be photocopied and distributed to staff. Also available for download is an editable version of the discharge summary form in Word format
If you have any feedback or comments on the pack or if you'd like further information, please contact suzanne.bench@kcl.ac.uk.