20 Jan Discharge Planning response to colleagues

                       SOCW–6204/8204: Medical Social Work I 

        

Discussion 2: Discharge Planning response to colleagues

One of the most common terms heard in inpatient hospital settings throughout the country currently is “length of stay.” This essentially refers to how long a patient occupies a bed in a hospital. The objective of some hospitals is to minimize the length of stay in an effort to contain costs. Due to most hospitals’ priority of keeping length of stay as short as possible, discharge planning begins upon admission to the hospital. It is a process that capitalizes on social worker’s engagement, assessment, and planning skills.

An effective discharge plan ensures that a patient is being discharged to a safe environment that is conducive to healing and recovery. In some cases, this is different from the environment they were living in prior to the hospitalization. In addition, the discharge plan must adequately meet the patient’s medical needs outside of the hospital environment. This can include coordinating follow-up medical appointments and appropriate therapies, ordering medical equipment, arranging home health care, placing the patient in a skilled nursing facility, and linking the patient to supportive community resources. Constructing a discharge plan requires hospital social workers to collaborate with the patient, his or her family, caregivers, medical team, and community resources.

To prepare for this Discussion, think about the components of discharge planning and the individuals involved in discharge planning. Consider medical social work practice skills within the generalist intervention model as discussed in Discussion 1 this week. Examine the factors involved in creating a discharge plan for a patient in a hospital setting. Consider the specific roles a medical social worker plays in creating a discharge plan.

 

By Day 6 (( Note!!! PLEASE WRITE OUT EACH QUESTION BEFORE PROVIDING A RESPONSE

 

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. (See below) ½ a page each

Respond to at least two different colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

• Share an insight gained from having read your colleague’s posting.

• Provide a constructive critique of your colleague’s post. Share two additional factors that might be involved in the discharge planning process.

Be sure to support your post and responses with specific references to the resources and the current literature using appropriate APA format and style.

 

Be sure to support your responses with specific references to the resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references both within the text and on the referencing section.  PLEASE ALWAYS INCLUDE THE REQIRED TEXTBOOK as part of the references and if possible some of the REQUIRED READING if applicable. Please always start by referring to THE TEXTBOOK, below  REQUIRED

Hospital Social Work (Paperback) 2006  Author:

Handbook of Health Social Work 3RD 19

Author: Gehlert, Sarah

ISBN-13: 978-1-119-42072-9

ISBN-10: 1-119-42072-5

Edition/Copyright: 3RD 19

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

 

 Required Readings

 

Learning Resources

Beder, J. (2006). General medical social work. In Hospital social work: The interface of medicine and caring (pp. 9-20). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203956120

Gehlert, S., & Browne, T. (Eds.). (2019). Social work roles and health-care settings. In Handbook of health social work (3rd., pp. 21-36). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119420743 

 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Care transitions from hospital to home: IDEAL discharge planning implementation handbook. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/professionals/systems/hospital/engagingfamilies/strategy4/Strat4_Implement_Hndbook_508_v2.pdf

 

Craig, S. L., & Muskat, B. (2013). Bouncers, brokers, and glue: The self-described roles of social workers in urban hospitals. Health Social Work, 38(1), 7–16.

 

Department of Health and Human Services. (2019). Your discharge planning checklist: For patients and their caregivers preparing to leave a hospital, nursing home, or other care setting. Retrieved from https://www.medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/11376-discharge-planning-checklist.pdf

 

Fox, M. T., Persaud, M., Maimets, I., Brooks, D., O’Brien, K., & Tregunno, D. (2013). Effectiveness of early discharge planning in acutely ill or injured hospitalized older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatrics, 13, 70.

 

Marshall, J. W., Ruth, B. J., Sisco, S., Bethke, C., Piper, T. M., Cohen, M., & Bachman, S. (2011). Social work interest in prevention: A content analysis of the professional literature. Social Work, 56(3), 201–211.

 

National Association for Social Workers. (2016). NASW standards for social work practice in health care settings. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=fFnsRHX-4HE%3d&portalid=0

 

 

 

camesha anderson 

RE: Discussion 2 – Week 2

COLLAPSE

Hello Everyone,

Description of the components of discharge planning

Discharge planning is an important part of care when an individual will no longer be receiving services. When we discharge a client, we make sure that their needs are still being met at home and after services are over. Early discharge planning is defined by interventions initiated during the acute phase of an illness or injury to facilitate transition of care back to the community as soon as the acute event is stabilized (Fox et al.2013 ). 

Usually discharge planning happens when an individual is ready to be discharged from the hospital or nursing home after a long term stay. 

 

Identify and explain the key factors that must be considered in the discharge planning process

The main thing that a social worker must consider during discharge planning is making sure the client will be safe and in good hands during the discharge planning. When we discharge, we try to ensure that we do what is necessary to make sure the clients don’t have to return for continued care. Early discharge planning was defined by interventions during the acute phase of illness or injury to facilitate transition of care back to the community (Fox et al. 2013). Also when planning discharging, it is always necessary to collaborate with the family of the individual who will be returning home. This is done to ensure that the client will have support when discharged. 

 

Explain the roles of a medical social worker in creating a discharge plan.

The role of a social worker involved in discharge planning makes sure that the client is being safe. The social worker must perform a strong assessment to make sure that they will be helping keep the client safe as possible. They must also collaborate with other people apart of the care team such as doctors and family members. In health care settings, social workers have often focused on specific tasks such as assessments, yet social workers’ roles have been found to be defined by their interactions with other professionals (Craig, S. L., & Muskat, 2013). 

 

Then, explain how discharge planning incorporates all of the practice skills in the generalist intervention model

Discharge planning incorporates all of the practice skills in the generalist intervention model as it works to identify stressors and anything that can disrupt a client’s environment so that social workers can plan and make effective interventions.

 

Challenges a medical social worker might face working with other professionals involved in discharge planning.

Challenges that a medical social worker might face when working with other professionals involved in the discharge planning is not having a professional agree with something that the social worker thinks is necessary. Another challenge would be also not getting support from the family or having the family back the care plan. 

 

References

Fox, M. T., Persaud, M., Maimets, I., Brooks, D., O’Brien, K., & Tregunno, D. (2013). Effectiveness of early discharge planning in acutely ill or injured hospitalized older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatrics, 13, 70.

 

Craig, S. L., & Muskat, B. (2013). Bouncers, brokers, and glue: The self-described roles of social workers in urban hospitals. Health Social Work, 38(1), 7–16.

 

Laura Hetrick 

RE: Discussion 2 – Week 2

COLLAPSE

A brief description of the components of discharge planning.

Components of discharge planning include an initial assessment of the patient’s potential needs. The social worker should speak with the patient about which agency they want to provide services upon discharge. The social worker should help to educate the patient and their family about needs and available services. Discharge planning incorporates a plan and coordination of services. A discharge plan will be developed when a discharge date is identified. A follow up contact after discharge should be conducted to ensure the services have been initiated and equipment received (Beder, 2006, p. 10-11). One goal of good discharge planning would be to prevent readmission (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.).

 

The key factors that must be considered in the discharge planning process.

One key factor in discharge planning is engagement with the patient and family. The patient and family should be included in decisions. The patient and family should be educated about possible options, available services and needed equipment. Follow up appointments with the physician needs to be schedule. The discharge plan should be detailed with specific instructions and appointments (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.).

 

The roles of a medical social worker in creating a discharge plan.  

One role of a medical social worker would be to complete an initial assessment. Collaboration with other professional and engage with the patient and their families are important roles of a social worker as well. Case management, interdisciplinary team meetings, and discharge planning are also important roles of a medical social worker. Discharge planning should completely address the needs of the patient. The social worker will assess the strengths and support system of the client. The medical social worker will apply the biopsychosocial approach. The social worker should be knowledgeable about resources within the community and know how to access them. Medical social workers will coordinate services such as home health, medical equipment, and transportation (Beder, 2006, p.10-11). The medical social worker should respect the patient’s decisions and goals. The patient should always be included in discharge planning. The medical social worker should discuss with the patient and their family about services, appointments, medication, needed support and medical equipment (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.).

 

How discharge planning incorporates all of the practice skills in the generalist intervention model.

Discharge planning incorporates all the practice skills in the generalist intervention model. Discharge planning examines the person’s different systems and their influence. The discharge plan examines the strengths of the client and their social support system. It identifies available resources and supports within the home. The discharge plan will incorporate services to help the client within their home (https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu).

 

Challenges a medical social worker might face working with other professionals involved in discharge planning.

Challenges a medical social worker might face with other professionals is a disagreement about when the patient should be discharged. The client will have an established number of days they can in the hospital by the insurance company. The social worker may believe they need to stay longer. There may be a lack of resources to meet the client’s needs.

 

 

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Care transitions from hospital to home: IDEAL discharge planning implementation handbook. Retrieved from

https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/professionals/systems/hospital/engagingfamilies/strategy4/Strat4_Implement_Hndbook_508_v2.pdf

 

Beder, J. (2006). General medical social work. In Hospital social work: The interface of medicine and caring (pp. 9-20). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203956120.

 

https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu.