| Information item | Inpatient notes n = 108 (100%) | TTO* form n = 104 (100%) | Discharge letter n = 66 (100%) | Comparison of TTO with letter χ2 |
| Information given regularly on discharge letters and TTO forms | ||||
| Name of consultant in charge | 108 (100) | 98 (94) | 66 (100) | p = 0.12 |
| Information more frequently given on discharge letter than TTO | ||||
| Admission date | 108 (100) | 91 (88) | 66 (100) | p = 0.007 |
| Discharge diagnosis | 108 (100) | 87 (84) | 66 (100) | p = 0.001 |
| Discharge date | 105 (97) | 76 (73) | 65 (98) | p<0.0001 |
| Problem list | 48 (44) | 4 (4) | 27 (41) | p<0.0001 |
| Intended outcome of management noted | 61 (56) | 23 (22) | 43 (65) | p<0.0001 |
| Cognitive impairment noted | 36 (33) | 7 (7) | 18 (27) | p = 0.0005 |
| Requirement for support services noted | 40 (37) | 8 (8) | 22 (33) | p<0.0001 |
| Functional status at discharge noted | 52 (48) | 5 (5) | 20 (30) | p<0.0001 |
| Specific instruction given to GP | 6 (6) | 5 (5) | 14 (21) | p = 0.002 |
| Home circumstances noted | 97 (90) | 5 (5) | 25 (38) | p<0.0001 |
| Follow-up plan stated | 70 (65) | 64 (61) | 60 (91) | p<0.0001 |
| Investigations noted | 97/105 (92) | 25 (24) | 48 (73) | p<0.0001 |
| Information more frequently given on TTO than discharge letter | ||||
| Medication list provided | 102 (94) | 100 (96) | 53 (80) | p = 0.002 |
| Dose of medicines | 102 (94) | 100 (96) | 53 (80) | p = 0.002 |
| Frequency of medication | 97 (90) | 99 (95) | 53 (80) | p = 0.005 |
| Information usually missing (or inadequate) from both types of discharge document | ||||
| Allergy status given | 88 (81) | 1 (1) | 0 | NS |
| Need for compliance aid | 5 (5) | 0 | NS | |
| Complete documentation of changes in medication | 98 (91) | 35 (33) | 24 (36) | NS |
Data are number (percentages) of records containing information items.
*TTO, “To take out” form given to patients at the time of hospital discharge.