Discharge planning and home care in the United States.

As the population ages and governments attempt to control the cost of health care delivery and provide quality care to their citizens, the concepts of discharge planning and continuity of care are emerging as processes that have major impacts on the use of available resources. With the increased emphasis of discharge planning strategies within the nursing process, alternative care settings, particularly the home, are being called upon to provide more comprehensive types of care. Home care service and equipment providers have responded to shortened hospital lengths of stay by developing programs which deliver high quality care to the elderly in their homes. Two cases are presented to illustrate both the nature of discharge planning and the economics of hospital and home-based care. Discharge planners provide a vital link between hospital patients who can be appropriately cared for at home and providers of home care services and home medical equipment.