A step-by-step guide for the 48 hours before discharge, the day you arrive home, and the first two weeks of recovery. Free to download and print.
Hospital discharge happens fast. The nursing team is busy, the instructions are dense, and by the time you're in the car you realize you've forgotten three things you meant to ask. This checklist was built to prevent that.
It breaks the transition into four phases — before discharge, discharge day, the first 48 hours home, and the first two weeks — so nothing gets missed at any stage. Print it the night before discharge and use it as a guide for the entire process.
Walk out of the hospital with every name, number, and instruction you need — before the pressure of discharge day begins. This section ensures nothing critical gets missed while there's still time to ask.
The questions most families forget to ask — covering medications, warning signs, follow-up appointments, and who to call first when something goes wrong at home. Ask them before you leave the building.
A structured landing routine for the hours that carry the most risk. Covers medication setup, home environment, and the early signs that warrant a call to the care team.
An ongoing check-in system designed to catch problems before they become readmissions. Tracks progress, flags changes, and keeps follow-up appointments from falling through the cracks.
Any family bringing a parent, spouse, or loved one home after a hospital stay — whether it was a planned surgery, a fall, a cardiac event, or a medical crisis. It's designed to be used by the person in care and the caregiver together, or just by the caregiver alone.
This checklist is a companion to the Hospital to Home: The Complete Transition Guide — a full 6-chapter guide with detailed explanations, a red flag reference, and 3 complete checklists. If you're facing a complex or high-risk discharge, the full guide covers what this checklist can only point to.
Hospital to Home
Full Guide — $9.99
6 chapters, 3 checklists. Red flag reference, discharge day script, medication reconciliation form, and home safety readiness checklist.
See the full guide