For more information regarding reproduction and additional scales, please go to https://www.marquette.edu/nursing/hospital-discharge-scales-general.php.

Permission to use the scales for research or clinical practice is granted by the author (Dr. Marianne Weiss). Modification of the scales is NOT permitted. (See Permission to Use statement for more information.) Links to approved translations are provided. Please contact the translator for permission to use the translation. Cite Dr. Marianne Weiss as author of the scale and also cite the translator in any publications. For more information about the Readiness for Discharge Scales, go to the College of Nursing website.

The POST-DISCHARGE COPING DIFFICULTY SCALE (PDCDS) is a patient self-report tool measuring difficulty with coping at home following discharge from the hospital. This is a unidimensional scale that is administered by phone typically between two and three weeks post-discharge.

There are three forms of the PDCDS for adult medical-surgical patients, parents of hospitalized children, and postpartum mothers.

• PDCDS- Adult form: 10 items (item 6b is not included in the scoring)
• Ped-PDCDS for parents of hospitalized children (including NICU): 11 items (includes items 10 a and 10 b; item 6b is not included in the scoring)
• OB-PDCDS for postpartum mothers: 10 items

Items are scored on a 0 to 10 scaling format. Items 8-10 (10a and 10b in pediatric version) should be reverse scored. To obtain a total score, sum the items and divide by the number of items in the scale; the score is the mean of items and ranges from 0 to 10. We use mean of items to increase interpretability of findings when used with our other scales.

Permission is granted to use the scales. No modifications are permitted. Please contact the translator to inform him/her that you plan to use. Cite Dr. Marianne Weiss as author of the scale and also cite the translator in any publications.