Chapter 3: Discharge care and planning
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Definition
Discharge planning is a complex process (Wallace at al. [51]) that is not a discrete event with one model of care but a transitional one with many factors involved (Chenoweth et al. [9]). The process should take into account a patient's physical, psychological, social, cultural, economic and environmental needs. It involves not only patients but also families, friends, informal carers, the hospital multidisciplinary team, and the community health and social services teams.
