Discharge preparation: do healthcare professionals differ in their opinions?

Discharge preparation is a multiprofessional activity that is not always conducted efficiently. Perspectives of staff provide an insight into challenges and solutions for this organizational process. The study aimed to examine current discharge practice in one hospital and to compare perceptions of this activity between healthcare workers from different professions.

Systems and people under pressure: the discharge process in an acute hospital.

Aims: To understand the perspective of hospital-based health professionals with regard to preparing patients for discharge from an acute hospital in England.

Background: The hospital experience in England over recent years is characterised by increasing admission rates and decreasing length of stay. Legislation and policy initiatives have also focussed upon the need to reduce delayed discharges.