POLICY NOTE - HOSPITAL DISCHARGE - Strengthening Hospital Discharge to Improve Patient Care and Health System Sustainability in Moldova

Jul 19, 2026

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Policy note on hospital discharge in Moldova, focusing on strengthening the discharge process to improve post-acute patient outcomes and health system sustainability. The document links discharge to Moldova’s NCD priorities and outlines challenges in fragmented care, including inadequate information sharing across hospitals, primary health care and social services. It highlights risks of poor transitions such as reduced treatment adherence, continuity gaps, adverse events, delayed recovery, and avoidable rehospitalization. Recommendations cover standardization, digitization, workforce capacity, performance indicators, payment mechanisms, and stronger patient and caregiver education for safer, more integrated transitions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Policy focus and rationale

Key challenges in Moldova

Improvement recommendations

Digitization and coordination mechanisms

Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Disclosure Authorized POLICY NOTE : : HOSPITAL DISCHARGE Strengthening Hospital Discharge to Improve Patient Care and Health System Sustainability in Moldova M. Schack, T. B. Muthee, I. Volovei, and Y. N. Rupasinghe APRIL 2024 Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice Public Public Disclosure Strengthening Hospital Discharge to Improve Patient Care and Health System Sustainability in Moldova M. Schack, T. B. Muthee, I. Volovei, and Y. N. Rupasinghe EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • In its National Development Strategy 2030, the Government of Moldova made addressing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) a key priority. As part of the effort to lessen the burden of NCDs, the Ministry of Health (MoH) launched several ambitious initiatives focused on optimizing the national hospital network, regionalizing stroke care, and modernizing rehabilitation services. • The hospital discharge process is a critical step in ensuring that a patient’s needs are fully met in order to achieve the best possible health outcomes after an acute episode. This step is especially important-and challenging-for patients who have more complex needs such as those associated with chronic diseases, or who need additional post-discharge care such as rehabilitation services. • In fragmented health systems, such as Moldova’s, suboptimal discharge processes can significantly impact treatment adherence, continuity of care and health outcomes, increasing the risk of rehospitalization and adverse events (which studies have found can affect 19% to 23% of patients within three weeks of discharge) . • Key areas for improvement identified with regards to the hospital discharge process in Moldova include insufficient information sharing and coordination between hospitals, primary healthcare and social care; a lack of incentives for hospitals to improve continuity of care; and limited infrastructure for post-discharge care, especially with regards to rehabilitation services and home care, which creates delays or gaps in care that can affect a patient’s recovery. • The need for a more holistic lens and greater standardization of the discharge process atthe national level was raised, and recommendations include the development of standardized assessment tools and guidelines to support a more systematic and person-centered approach. • Digitization is another important element of strengthening the hospital discharge process, and the implementation of several digital health initiatives (such as e-referrals and e-appointment systems) is already a key priority for the MoH, aimed at improving information sharing and coordination between the different levels of the health system. • In addition, expanding workforce skills and developing performance indicators and payment mechanisms were identified as key levers to promote and incentivize greater continuity and coordination of care in this context. • Finally, patients and caregivers must play a central role in any strategy aiming to support safe and effective transitions of care , and strengthening patient education and support for informal carers was highlighted as a key area of focus. • Strengthening the hospital discharge process would result ina more efficient health system, better equipped to address the rise in complex discharge needs fueled by Moldova’s demographic and epidemiological trends and, by improving coordination of care, would also facilitate the effective implementation of MoH’s priority reforms and provide a robust foundation to support the delivery of more integrated, person-centered health services, as outlined in the National Health Strategy. 2 : : Strengthening Hospital Discharge to Improve Patient Care and Health System Sustainability in Moldova Background As a crucial point of transition, hospital discharge can be a complex episode in a patient’s care pathway (Waring et al.

FAQs

为什么住院出院流程对患者结局和健康系统可持续性很关键？

出院是急性发作后护理路径中的关键转折点，需要确保患者在离院后仍能获得与需求匹配的后续照护，从而获得最佳健康结局并支持系统的可持续运行。

摩尔多瓦在出院流程方面存在哪些主要问题？

主要问题包括医院、初级医疗与社会照护之间信息共享与协调不足；缺乏激励促使医院提升照护连续性；以及出院后照护基础设施有限，尤其在康复与家庭照护方面，易造成护理延迟或断档。

文中提出了哪些改进方向来强化出院流程？

建议从国家层面更全面地审视并提升出院流程标准化，发展标准评估工具与指南；推动数字化举措（如电子转诊与预约系统）；同时通过扩充人员能力、建立绩效指标与支付机制，以及强化患者与照护者教育来支持安全有效的照护衔接。

Jul 19, 2026

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