VHA National Center for Patient Safety
The Daily Plan - How Things Have Changed
A nurse reviews The Daily Plan with a Veteran patient.
There have been many changes to The Daily Plan® since it was initially developed in 2007; yet, it continues to enhance patient safety by engaging the patient and/or their family in the health care and decision-making process.
Introduction
The Daily Plan is an extracted health summary report that is printed and given to the patient and/or their family member(s) during a hospital stay or at the time of a scheduled outpatient appointment. It is intended to enhance safety and communication by helping the patient to:
KNOW what to expect on that particular day of care. The Daily Plan can include such items as medications, diet, allergies, x-rays and more.
ASK questions if something on The Daily Plan appears unexpected or unplanned.
PARTICIPATE by promoting patient and family involvement. This helps us to consistently do the right thing, at the right time, for the right person.
Goals of TDP
1. Provide patients and families with a document delineating what to expect during that day for their inpatient or outpatient visit.
2. Enhance patient safety by encouraging the patient to ask questions about their health care, especially if something seems different than planned.
3. Draw upon information already in the electronic medical record, making the process more efficient.
4. Strengthen the communication process between patient, family and those involved in his/her health care.
What has changed?
Originally intended for use by nurse and patient in the medical-surgical area, use has expanded to acute mental health, intensive care, emergency department, community living center and primary care.
The Daily Plan was piloted by five sites and is now used in 37 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities on 91 units; another 22 VHA facilities are in various stages of implementation.
The Daily Plan maintains the strong nurse and patient relationship. We encourage use of TDP by providers, dieticians, clinical pharmacists and other members of the health care team.
All products associated with The Daily Plan have been recently revised and are 508 compliant.
Of note, The Daily Plan continues to represent current patient activity and is not a full list of everything that takes place during the patient’s inpatient or outpatient visit.
Articles of interest
Two articles have been published about TDP:
King, B., Young-Xu, Y., Lee, W., Van Aalst, R., Shiner, B., Mills, P., Eickhoff, L., Neily, J., (2017). Impact of The Daily Plan on length of stay and readmission. Journal of Nursing Quality. 00(00), 1-5. DOI: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000271
King, B., Mills, P., Fore, A., Mitchell, C., (2012). The Daily Plan:Including patient’s for safety’s sake. Nursing Management.43(3), 15-18. DOI-10.1097/01.NUMA.0000412229.53136.3e
To learn more
For questions or more information, please contact Wendy.Morrish@va.gov.
