Abstract

Background: The readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale is designed to help the health care providers to determine patients’ discharge readiness and ensure efficient discharge planning. The aim of this study was to test the validity, reliability and psychometric properties of the Estonian version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale/Short Form (RHDS/SF-Est).
Methods: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the RHDS/SF into Estonian language followed international guidelines. The translation was pre-tested in a group of 30 patients. The content validity of the scale was evaluated by a panel of experts. The study population was 130 patients from the neurosurgical department. The internal consistency, construct validity, reproducibility and predictive validity of the scale was determined.
Results: The RHDS/SF-Est version scores ranged from 4,8-10,0 (mean 8,3). The Cronbach’s alpha of the whole scale was 0,84. The correlation matrix suggested that the four-dimensional structure of the original RHDS is appropriate for RHDS/SF-Est. Exploratory factor analysis supported the construct validity of the four-factor RHDS/SF in the Estonian cultural context. The model explained >85% of the total variance of the scale. The patients who lived alone, had cranial pathology and had not been operated upon had significantly lower RHDS/SF-Est values. Gender of the patients was the only significant predictor of post-discharge utilization of emergency health services in our patient group.
Conclusion: The RHDS/SF-Est is a reliable and valid scale for measuring discharge readiness of neurosurgical patients in Estonia. The scale could be used to identify potential discharge related problems and improve discharge planning.

Keywords:Readiness for hospital discharge scale; Reliability; Validity; Estonian

Abbreviations:RHDS: The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale; RHDS/SF: The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale/Short Form; RHDS/SF-Est: The Estonian version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale/Short Form