Leveraging AI to Integrate and Personalize Hospital Discharge Preparation: A Discursive Paper

Abstract

AIM: To describe a reconceptualization of hospital discharge preparation as fundamental personalized nursing care and reflect on emerging artificial intelligence technologies to improve care process and outcomes. DESIGN: Discursive paper. METHODS: We expand our prior Conceptual Model for Discharge Preparation by situating it within theoretical perspectives of fundamental and personalized nursing care and emerging opportunities for integration of clinical artificial intelligence systems. RESULTS: The new Discharge Preparation Integrated Care Framework displays the complexity of discharge processes and the central nursing role in personalizing and integrating the core components of discharge preparation-discharge planning, coordination, and teaching. Personalized nursing care can be augmented, not replaced, by leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities. CONCLUSION: Integrated discharge preparation is a fundamental process of acute care nursing. Artificial intelligence technologies will support automation, coordination, and information exchange. However, effective discharge preparation requires personalized nursing care in interactive engagement with the patient and family to ensure that care decisions are aligned with the patient's situational context, goals of care, and preferences for the discharge transition. IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE AND THE PROFESSION: The Discharge Preparation Integrated Care Framework is widely applicable to designing personalized, efficient and effective nursing and hospital discharge services. As artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous in clinical care, research will be needed to demonstrate the unique contribution of personalized nursing care to positive patient and healthcare organization outcomes. IMPACT: Discharge preparation addresses longstanding problems with hospital discharge. Comprehensive discharge preparation relies on personalized nursing care to achieve patient and health system outcomes. The framework should also be considered for discharge from other care venues. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public involvement was involved in the development of this discursive paper.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2026 · DOI ↗