Résumé :
|
This study examines the contribution of hospital discharge planning in meeting the needs of patients for care after their return home. A random sample of 919 admissions (age 60 and over) to five hospitals was studied to obtain informations on characteristics of discharge planning during the patients' hospital stay. Specifically, information was obtained on the involvment of a designated professional for managing and coordinating the discharge plan, and the extent to which the planning was interdisciplinary. Patient interview conducted two weeks after discharge provided informations on needs for care related to : 1) treatment, 2) activity limitations, and 3) other self-sufficiency limitations. Patients were asked about their need for care in these three areas and about wether or not these needs were being met. Overall, 97% reported one or more needs for care and 33% reported that at least one of these needs was not being met. Findings show that the involvment of a discharge planning case manager is related to a significant reduction in unmet treatment needs, but not to reductions in activity limitation, other self-sufficiency needs, or overall needs... The meeting of specific patient need through enhanced discharge planning may save future costs by reducing the rates of complications and hospital readmissions in an era of prospective payment, thus potentially offsetting the increased costs involved in planning and coordinating postdischarge care foe older adults. (R.A.)
|