Clarifying differences in viewpoints between multiple healthcare professionals during discharge planning assessments when discharging patients from a long-term care hospital to home

Abstract

Comprehensive discharge planning provided by interprofessional collaboration is critical for discharging patients from hospitals to home. For effective interprofessional discharge planning, the evaluation that clarifies the differences in assessment viewpoints between various healthcare professionals is needed. This study aimed to clarify the assessment viewpoints of multiple healthcare professional groups when discharging patients from a long-term care hospital (LTCH) to home. We reviewed 102 medical records from an LTCH in Japan, extracted descriptions of discharge planning assessments written by 3 doctors, 13 nurses, 3 physical therapists, 13 care workers, and 2 social workers, linked these to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and conducted the statistical analysis. Doctors and nurses significantly focused on "Body Functions". Physical therapists and care workers significantly focused on "Activities and Participation". Social workers significantly focused on "Environmental Factors". We also identified the factors less or missing from assessments in the clinical field of the LTCH. Our findings could be contributed as a base of knowledge to foster a better understanding of different healthcare professionals' assessment viewpoints. The further development of comprehensive discharge planning assessment tools, service programs, and research on discharge planning methods that could contribute to effective interprofessional discharge planning is needed.

Keywords: Discharge planning assessment; ICF; Interprofessional work; Long-term care hospital; Multiple viewpoints.