Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
9-29-2026
First Advisor
Sandy King
Second Advisor
Beverly Clark
Abstract
The period following psychiatric hospitalization is a high-risk transition during which inconsistent communication, delayed follow-up, and poorly coordinated referrals can create gaps in continuity of care. This quality improvement project addressed inconsistent post-discharge follow-up processes in a community outpatient mental health clinic. The purpose was to implement staff education and a structured workflow incorporating the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Discharge Phone Call Tool to improve staff confidence, telehealth follow-up, and referral coordination over eight weeks. A quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pre- and post-intervention design was used. Staff confidence was measured with Grundy’s C-Scale, and telehealth follow-up and referral activities were evaluated using de-identified clinic records. Sixteen staff members completed the pre-intervention assessment, and fifteen completed matched pre- and post-intervention assessments. Mean C-Scale scores increased from 15.73 (SD = 2.96) to 23.27 (SD = 1.67). Because paired difference scores were not normally distributed (W =.85, p =.017), a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed, which demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in staff confidence (W = 2.00, p <.001). During implementation, only three identified post-hospitalization follow-up appointments were not completed because of circumstances outside the clinic workflow. Documentation and referral coordination also became more consistent and organized. Findings support the feasibility and sustainability of a standardized, evidence-based post-discharge workflow to strengthen psychiatric transitional care.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Echeng, Ikemi, "Quality Improvement Project: Telehealth Follow-up After Psychiatric Hospital Discharge" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 384.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/384
