This study addresses the factors influencing decisions to send medicine-surgical (med-surg) patients home or to nursing facilities (NFs). The sample (n = 7,852) was taken from a large, urban, teaching, med-surg unit where discharges were documented and data collected over a two-and-a-half-year period. Using logistical regression, the factors found…

This study aimed to examine the implementation, adequacy, and outcomes of discharge planning. The authors carried out a prospective study of 1,426 adult patients discharged from 11 acute care hospitals in Israel. Social workers provided detailed discharge plans on each patient. Telephone interviews were conducted two weeks post-discharge. Findings…

Surveyed 90 administrative and nonadministrative social workers employed in nursing homes who identified their level of influence in 5 spheres of organizational decision making. There were few differences between the two groups. However, among directors, number of full-time equivalent social workers, type of institution ownership, and length of…

Studied discharge plans for 369 African American and white elderly patients and examined posthospital care options pursued by social workers, patients, and families. Discharge planning with African American patients and family members involved less pursuit of nursing home care and more pursuit of formal services in the home than planning with…