Healthcare needs should be addressed even when patients return home. The purpose of this study was to support a multidimensional assessment upon discharge to plan domiciliary care. Materials and Methods: This is a mul...Healthcare needs should be addressed even when patients return home. The purpose of this study was to support a multidimensional assessment upon discharge to plan domiciliary care. Materials and Methods: This is a multicentre cross-sectional study that uses the Geriatric Functional Assessment questionnaire to assess healthcare needs. The questionnaire was administered upon discharge to 358 people aged over 65. Results: About 20% of our sample required healthcare support after discharge and 32% needed some sort of supervision. Most of the healthcare requirements involved socio-economic needs, neurological diseases, and inability to autonomously perform instrumental activities of daily living. Discussion: It is crucial to have an optimal discharge plan for older inpatients. Nurses play a key role in managing the care continuum process, and they have the instruments to select those requiring “supported discharge”, and collaborate with district nurses who can arrange healthcare interventions jointly with other professionals. They can facilitate access to resources, medical devices and aids required to restore patient autonomy.展开更多
文摘Healthcare needs should be addressed even when patients return home. The purpose of this study was to support a multidimensional assessment upon discharge to plan domiciliary care. Materials and Methods: This is a multicentre cross-sectional study that uses the Geriatric Functional Assessment questionnaire to assess healthcare needs. The questionnaire was administered upon discharge to 358 people aged over 65. Results: About 20% of our sample required healthcare support after discharge and 32% needed some sort of supervision. Most of the healthcare requirements involved socio-economic needs, neurological diseases, and inability to autonomously perform instrumental activities of daily living. Discussion: It is crucial to have an optimal discharge plan for older inpatients. Nurses play a key role in managing the care continuum process, and they have the instruments to select those requiring “supported discharge”, and collaborate with district nurses who can arrange healthcare interventions jointly with other professionals. They can facilitate access to resources, medical devices and aids required to restore patient autonomy.
