Premium
Pre‐discharge home visits with older people: time to review practice
Author(s) -
Mountain Gail,
Pighills Alison
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
health and social care in the community
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.984
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2524
pISSN - 0966-0410
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2524.2003.00413.x
Subject(s) - older people , medicine , nursing , hospital discharge , discharge planning , bridging (networking) , gerontology , intensive care medicine , computer network , computer science
The present review paper uses the available evidence to make a case for a reconsideration of the practice of undertaking pre‐discharge home visits with frail older people as part of decisions regarding a return home. This practice is embedded into the routine activity of acute medical wards for older people and occupies a large proportion of the time of hospital employed therapy staff, with consequent financial and resource implications. Assessments are often conducted to provide information on safe discharge rather than being located in the interests of the older person and their carer. The introduction of a new range of services bridging hospital and home raises the need for an urgent, critical appraisal of this practice.