The English Translation and Testing of the Problems After Discharge Questionnaire (Report‪)‬

The quality of hospital discharge planning assessments determines whether patients receive the health and social services they need or are sent home with unmet needs and without services. There is a valid and reliable Dutch instrument that measures problems and unmet needs patients encounter after discharge. This article describes the translation and testing of the English version of the Problems after Discharge Questionnaire for use in evaluating hospital discharge planning. Internal consistency reliability of multiple item subscales was assessed with Cronbach's alpha (.70 for four of six subscales where alpha could be computed [two others were single items only]). Subscales were correlated with similar constructs corresponding to the same problem areas in the theoretical model. The goal was to use the questionnaire with English-speaking patients to capture a comprehensive picture of physical, social, and psychological problems and unmet needs that patients encounter after hospital discharge. KEY WORDS: care transition; hospital discharge; postacute care; Problems after Discharge Questionnaire; validity and reliability