Studies of discharge after hospitalization have shown that patients prefer verbal instructions from their care provider prior to discharge Patients like to have a final interaction with their care provider to clarify ongoing treatment plans and to have a chance to ask remaining questions Verbal instructions may help to overcome literacy barriers to comprehension of written instructions However, verbal instructions alone are not adequate because they rely on variable communication skills of providers Verbal instructions alone also not provide any lasting documentation for the patient to reference Written Instructions Written materials may improve recall of discharge information A written record of the discharge instructions not only helps the patient, but also can provide valuable information to follow-up practitioners as a reference for diagnoses, care received, and changes in medications To standardize the information provided to patients/families, many centers have transitioned to preformatted instructions that have the benefit of being easily legible and may be more time efficient However, information needs to be pediatric specific and individualized Ideally, written instructions should have diagnosis-specific information structured under separate headings for each diagnosis Providers can highlight the most critical information Written instructions without verbal reinforcement are not adequate as they not give patients and families the chance to ask clarifying questions There is also a risk of discrepancy between reading comprehension level of the patient/family and the level of the instructions (see below) If the instructions are not written in the native language of the family, they will not be well understood Caution should be used to avoid including superfluous information that can distract from the crucial information There is no consensus on the optimal person to provide discharge instructions to families Patients surveyed when leaving the inpatient units of a hospital prefer their physician to review discharge instructions Ideally, one of the main care providers (MD, nurse practitioner, bedside nurse, etc.) should review instructions with the patient and provide the option of further clarification by his or her practitioner if necessary