Trust-building in pediatric hospital medicine discharge.

Abstract

Hospital discharge is a trust-sensitive phase of care. This article reframes discharge as a longitudinal process in which families assess not only individual clinicians but also the reliability, coherence, and accountability of the healthcare system across hospitalization. Misalignment between verbal and written communication, unclear responsibility transfer, and unaddressed administrative workload can erode institutional trust, particularly for structurally marginalized families when signals of support are not sustained. Pediatric hospitalists can strengthen trust by aligning communication, responsibility, and support across care phases, anticipating postdischarge complexity, and signaling shared accountability. We propose a longitudinal, trust-oriented approach to discharge and outline strategies to operationalize this.