Association between discharge summary timeliness and clinical outcomes among general medicine patients.

Authors

Cutie Kannampuzha, Yogesh Sharma, Campbell Thompson, Arduino Mangoni

Published in

Internal medicine journal. Sep 07, 2026. Epub Sep 07, 2026.

Abstract

Timely discharge summaries are critical for optimal care transitions; however, evidence linking timeliness with patient outcomes remains inconsistent.
This study examined the association between summary completion time and 30-day readmission and mortality among general medical patients.
This retrospective cohort study at a South Australian tertiary teaching hospital included adult general medical admissions between July 2022 and June 2023. Discharge summaries were categorised as completed within 24 h, 24-48 h or beyond 48 h. The primary outcome was a composite of 30-day readmission or death; secondary outcomes were 30-day readmission and mortality assessed separately. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, frailty and measures of healthcare utilisation with results reported as adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Among 4703 admissions, 21.9% had discharge summaries completed more than 48 h after discharge, while 78.1% were completed within 48 h, and 26.8% experienced the composite outcome - these patients were older, with higher comorbidity and frailty (P < 0.05). Discharge summary completion beyond 48 h was independently associated with higher odds of the composite outcome (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.13-1.77, P < 0.001) and mortality (aOR 1.95, 95% CI 1.29-2.96, P = 0.002), but not 30-day readmission (aOR 1.14, 95% CI 0.90-1.43, P = 0.622). Among patients who died within 30 days, 51.3% of deaths occurred within a median of 7 days from discharge (interquartile range 3-16).
Discharge summaries completed after 48 h were associated with adverse 30-day outcomes, particularly mortality. The clustering of death within the first week after discharge highlights the vulnerability of the post-discharge period and underscores the importance of timely communication between hospital and primary care providers.

PMID:
42706773
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Sep 2026.

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