AIM The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a discharge plan in hospitalized elderly patients with hip fracture due to falling. BACKGROUND Hip fractures are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among older people. Hip fracture patients require ongoing medical and long-term care services. Discharge plan services can play a very important role for these patients...

In this discussion of audit, the authors describe a pilot study on discharge planning. They review existing literature on discharge planning and outline how the results and lessons of the pilot study will help develop a full audit and quality cycle in the future.

BACKGROUND Decreased functional ability is common in older adults after hospitalisation. Lower levels of functional ability increase the risk of hospital readmission and nursing care facility admission. Discharge planning across the hospital and community interface is suggested to increase functional ability and decrease hospital length of stay and hospital readmission. However evidence is limi...

BACKGROUND Discharge planning is a routine feature of health systems in many countries. The aim is to reduce hospital length of stay and unplanned readmission to hospital, and improve the co ordination of services following discharge from hospital thereby bridging the gap between hospital and place of discharge. Sometimes discharge planning is offered as part of an integrated package of care, w...

Article: People age 65 and older comprise 11% of the U.S. population, yet at any given time, they occupy 40% of acute care hospital beds (National Center for Health Statistics, 1985). The majority of this elderly population has Medicare coverage. Anderson and Steinberg (1984) reported that between 1974 and 1977, 22% of Medicare hospitalizations were followed by readmissions within 60 days of di...

This is a two-part unit on preparing patients for hospital discharge following surgery for colorectal cancer. Part 1 explored the rationale for different surgical procedures, and discussed common side-effects and the impact of treatment on patients. This second part addresses the various components of good discharge planning: assessment; technical care; coordination and communication; emotional...

A framework that organizes content into performance objectives is presented for planning field instruction and in-service education. Intended to overcome the polarization between concrete services and therapeutic intervention frequently seen within the profession, the objectives highlight the social work knowledge and skills inherent in discharge planning to encourage learners to appreciate thi...

• Objective: To study the effects of a comprehensive discharge planning protocol, designed specifically for the elderly and implemented by nurse specialists, on patient and caregiver outcomes and cost of care. • Design: Randomized clinical trial. • Setting: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. • Patients: 276 patients and 125 caregivers. Patients were 70 years and older and were placed i...

INTRODUCTION There is a need for individualized discharge planning to support frail older persons at hospital discharge. In this context, active participation on their behalf cannot be taken for granted. The aim of this study was to elucidate patient participation in discharge planning conferences, with a focus on frail older persons, supported by the theory of positioning described by Harré & ...

Following the establishment of a discharge working group, several concerns were raised about the management of multidisciplinary team (MDT) discharge meetings throughout the trust. A project was established to observe MDT meetings, identify good practice and produce practice guidance to improve standards and achieve consistency throughout the organisation.