Timely Transmission of Discharge Summaries

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
Australia
Publishing Organisation
National Indicators Project
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Communication

Defining Attributes

Definition

Proportion of hospital patients with discharge summaries transmitted to the patient's General Practitioner within recommended time-frames after discharge

Numerator

Separations for patients for whom a discharge summary is transmitted to the patient's General Practitioner within recommended time-frames after discharge

Denominator

All separations

Exclusions

Separations for repeat treatments such as chemotherapy and renal dialysis

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications

National: Indigenous status, Remoteness of facility, Public Hospital Peer Group, Public/private hospital sector, State/Territory State/Territory: Indigenous status, Remoteness of facility, Public Hospital Peer Group, Public/private hospital sector, Health service region, Facility/organisation

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

Data development required The National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) could potentially be modified to include a data item on whether a discharge summary had been transmitted to the patient's general practitioner, and/or at what time after discharge.

Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods

Data currently not available

Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Evidence Source

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009. Towards national indicators of safety and quality in health care. Cat. no. HSE 75. Canberra: AIHW. www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/e352f4fc-3a24-43e9-8a92-adfada971227/hse-75-10792.pdf.aspx?inline=true

Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
No
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
23 July 2025