Description of an early discharge post-acute care program: length of hospital stay, patient and carer needs and cost

Reasons for nursing telephone counseling from individuals discharged in the early postoperative period after breast surgery

The aim of this study was to determine the rate of and causes of asking for telephone counseling in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and discharged one night after surgery.

METHOD

This is a randomized descriptive study. This study was conducted on surgery service of a university hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, with MRM and BCS patients. This study sample included 174 patients. Inclusion criteria were staying in hospital for one night and being discharged, ability to talk on the phone, and being a candidate for MRM or BCS. Data were collected on a form that was developed by the researcher after consultation with experts, reviewing THE related literature, and clinical observations. The patients were given two mobile telephone (for two of the researchers) and home telephone number (for two of the researchers) that had an answering machine and were encouraged to call or leave a message for health problems they experienced at home.

RESULTS

A higher rate of the patients undergoing mastectomy asked for telephone counseling. The rate of the women asking for telephone counseling was very high within the first 6 weeks of discharge. The leading causes of asking for telephone counseling were wound problems, arm exercises, and difficulties in adapting to daily living activities. The women also had a psychological problem: fear of inability to recover.

CONCLUSIONS

The study found that home follow-up of patients undergoing mastectomy was particularly important.

Older people's satisfaction with intermediate care: a systematic review

Although intermediate care takes a variety of different forms and has developed somewhat differently in different countries, we believe that intermediate-care schemes have enough in common to make it meaningful to examine the relationship between this method of care and the views of older patients receiving either it or its alternatives. This is particularly important as one of the underlying principles of intermediate care is to extend patient choice; furthermore, most intermediate-care services target older people. In this review we examine evidence about whether older people prefer intermediate or hospital care, and what they like and dislike about intermediate care.