Post-Hospital Syndrome

Minimizing the Effects of Post-Hospital Syndrome

Sometimes hospitalization is unavoidable.  But while providing much needed treatments, being hospitalized can also wreak havoc on a patient’s physical and emotional stability.  These disruptions can contribute to post-hospital syndrome, a period of increased vulnerability during which a person is much more susceptible to further adverse health events. During hospitalization, patients often encounter sleep deprivation, dietary alterations, and a significantly decreased activity level.  They can also frequently experience emotional stress as well as medication-related side effects, including delirium/disorientation.

Nearly one fifth of all Medicare patients discharged from a hospital develop an acute medical problem that leads to readmission within 30 days after discharge, even if they are discharged to a rehab facility.

Fortunately, there are things that patients and their loved ones can do to try to prevent, or at least minimize, the effects of post-hospital syndrome:

• All hands on deck! 
  • ​Whenever possible, enlist a family member or friend as an advocate to help with activities of daily living and support while you are hospitalized.
• Plan meeting times. 
  • Ask your doctors when they normally make rounds so that your advocate can be included in discussions about your condition and treatment plan.
• Keep a medication list. 
  • Have a current list of your medications available and bring it to the hospital with you. While admitted, regularly review the medications being given with your nurse. This will help to eliminate medication errors and prevent potentially harmful side effects.
• Bring your personal equipment and phone. 
  • If you regularly use hearing aids, dentures, eyeglasses, or mobility aids, such as a cane or walker, take them with you to the hospital, or have them delivered once hospitalized.
• Stick to your routine. 
  • Whenever possible, maintain a daily routine that closely mirrors your life outside the hospital. Informing the clinical staff of your daily routine is important, including when you normally groom, brush your teeth, etc.
• Keep moving. 
  • After being cleared by your medical team, ask your nurse to help you spend as much time out of bed as possible. Lying in bed all day leads to reduced blood flow, muscle loss, and generalized weakness.
• Rest at the right time. 
  • Avoid extended sleep during the day when possible. Try to stay awake with plenty of light in the room until close to your normal bedtime in order to maintain your body’s natural circadian rhythm.
• Request quiet nights. 
  • Request that you not be awakened for nighttime vital sign checks, medication, or blood draws if at all possible (this is often not avoidable depending on your condition or staff constraints).
• Maintain your normal diet (unless medically contraindicated). 
  • If you require special dietary accommodations (lactose free, gluten free, etc.), inform your doctors and nurses.  Be sure to reconfirm these requirements when you order meals.  Also inform them of your normal caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol intake to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
• Plan ahead for hospitalization. 
  • If you have a chronic health condition (heart failure, COPD, cancer, dementia, or Parkinson’s disease, for example), create an “in case of hospitalization plan” with your doctor and family/friends.