Victor C R, Vetter N J
University of Wales College of Medicine, St David's Hospital, Cardiff.
Age Ageing. 1988 May;17(3):155-63. doi: 10.1093/ageing/17.3.155.
People aged 65 years and over are the largest consumer group of hospital care, and an important element of their treatment is the transfer back into the community. Preparation and planning for discharge is, therefore, an integral aspect of the care of older people in hospital. This study used a random sample of people aged 65 and over discharged from hospitals throughout Wales to investigate, by the use of a postal questionnaire, the preparation they had received for their discharge whilst in hospital. Preparation for discharge was defined as length of notice of impending discharge and discussions with staff about their return home. A response rate of over 80% was obtained to the questionnaire. Thirty-nine per cent of the sample were given less than 24 h notice of discharge and less than 50% reported that a member of the hospital staff discussed their discharge/return home with them whilst in hospital. Discharge planning/preparation was very much better amongst patients seen in geriatric medicine compared with those seen in other specialties. It is concluded that, with the exception of geriatric medicine, discharge planning for the elderly remains a very neglected aspect of patient care.
65岁及以上的人群是医院护理的最大消费群体，而他们治疗的一个重要环节是转回社区。因此，出院准备和规划是老年人住院护理中不可或缺的一部分。本研究对威尔士各地医院出院的65岁及以上人群进行随机抽样，通过邮寄问卷调查他们在住院期间所接受的出院准备情况。出院准备被定义为即将出院的通知时长以及与工作人员就回家事宜进行的讨论。问卷的回复率超过80%。39%的样本在出院前24小时内才得到通知，不到50%的人表示医院工作人员在其住院期间与他们讨论过出院/回家事宜。与其他专科的患者相比，老年医学科患者的出院计划/准备情况要好得多。研究得出结论，除老年医学科外，老年人的出院计划仍然是患者护理中一个非常被忽视的方面。
