Start with what the patient needs after discharge
Write down the tasks the treating team expects at home, rather than starting with a request for a nurse for the whole day. A scheduled dressing visit, help following a medicine timetable and an eight-hour nursing shift are different arrangements. The person providing them needs to know the task, its timing and the agreed care plan.
Ask the ward team to clarify which activities need a Registered Nurse, which a family caregiver can do, and which require another clinician. For prescribed injections, IV therapy or device care, keep the specific order with the patient. A general instruction to arrange “home care” is not enough to identify the correct procedure.
Use the hospital’s discharge information
The Aga Khan University Hospital’s published hospital-stay guidance describes take-home medicines, possible diet, medicine and wound-care instructions, follow-up appointments and transport planning. It also advises discussing continued care with the doctor at discharge. These are useful prompts for a family checklist; the patient’s own team must decide what applies.
Before leaving, ask who can clarify the discharge instructions, when the next review is due and whether any equipment or supplies need to be ready. Confirm how the patient will get home and whether the treating team recommends medical transport. Do not assume that arranging a visiting nurse also arranges transport or specialist follow-up.
Request records from the right campus
AKUH’s current health-records page distinguishes Main Hospital Campus Karachi and Clifton Medical Services records from those of off-campus hospitals. Main Campus and Clifton patients can request records through Health Information Management Services; off-campus patients obtain them from their respective hospital.
If your family member was treated elsewhere in Karachi, use that hospital’s own records process. Keep copies of the discharge summary, current prescription and relevant reports together. Give the home nurse the information needed for the agreed work with the patient’s permission, rather than circulating the entire medical history in multiple messaging groups.
Check the nurse and the procedure experience separately
Open the official PNMC professional lookup with the nurse’s help. Its current form asks for the NIC/CNIC or passport number. Compare the person and professional category with the credentials presented, and resolve a missing or inconsistent record before arranging nursing care.
Registration is one check; relevant experience is another. Ask whether the nurse has recent experience with the particular ordered task and what competency evidence is available. Someone helping with routine hygiene should not automatically be assumed competent for IV therapy or tracheostomy care. Our PNMC verification guide explains the identity check in more detail.
Make the first visit and the next handover clear
Agree who meets the nurse, where the records are kept and who is the family contact. Ask the provider to confirm the start time, expected duration, tasks, supplies, charges and arrangements if the nurse cannot attend. For a longer shift, establish who takes over when the shift ends; the patient’s needs do not stop at the scheduled finishing time.
Ask what will be recorded after each visit and which changes should be reported to the treating team. A useful handover identifies completed work, anything not completed, any instruction requiring clarification and the next planned visit. Keep responsibility for medical decisions with the treating clinician.
Compare the whole arrangement, not just the quoted visit
A lower quote may cover fewer tasks or exclude supplies, transport or extra time. Request a written breakdown for your particular plan. The home-nurse cost guide explains the questions to ask without presenting a fixed Karachi tariff.
For local selection questions, read how to find a home nurse near you. Our wound-dressing and after-surgery care pages describe planned nursing tasks, not a substitute for the hospital’s instructions.
Nurse at Home is preparing to launch and bookings are not open yet. Hospital references here are independent information sources, not partner or service-coverage claims. Home nursing is not emergency care; an urgent deterioration needs medical assessment rather than waiting for a scheduled visit.
Continue your care planning
Use the planned nursing service catalogue to ask about the exact task your discharge plan requires. The city planning and launch guide links further family resources, including our Hyderabad, Sindh records and follow-up guide when a patient’s care involves a different campus.