The use of digitalized collaboration between levels of care is expected to improve coordination in patients' transitions. The aim of this study was to investigate how safe and effective e-messages were regarding discharge planning between hospital nurses and the municipal level of administration. A nationwide survey was conducted among 2 431 Norwegian nurses working in inpatient wards in general hospitals. A majority (86%) of the nurses used e-messages as their main mode of communication with the administration when older patients were discharged. Most nurses (73%) found that e-messages were effective in their collaboration, and that e-messages ensured safe discharge for older patients (65%). More than half of the nurses reported being satisfied with the collaboration with the administration. E-messages supported hospital nurses in their discharge planning for older patients. However, they sometimes needed to use the telephone to exchange additional and more detailed information.
Keywords: Continuity of care; Electronic Health Record; Patient discharge.