Factors influencing discharge readiness among patients with mild-to-moderate ischemic stroke: a cross-sectional study

To describe discharge readiness and determine whether self-efficacy, social support, and the quality of discharge teaching can predict discharge readiness among patients with mild-to-moderate ischemic stroke. A total of 120 patients with mild-to-moderate ischemic stroke were recruited using simple random sampling. Five instruments, namely, the Demographic Data Questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS_C), the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale (QDTS), were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and standard multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The mean score of discharge readiness among patients with mild-to-moderate ischemic stroke was at a moderate level (M = 7.6, SD = 0.92), and 75.8% of the participants felt ready for discharge. Standard multiple linear regression revealed that self-efficacy (β = 0.62, P < 0.001) and the quality of discharge teaching (β = 0.28, P < 0.001) were the influencing factors. However, social support could not predict discharge readiness significantly. All the factors combined explained 64.9% of the variance in discharge readiness. Intervention programs aimed at improving self-efficacy and the quality of discharge teaching may be helpful in promoting discharge readiness in patients with mild-to-moderate ischemic stroke, especially in coping ability.