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Legal Nurse Consultants Specializing in Discharge Planning issues:

Rhonda K. Alfredson RN CLNC CRRN CCM COHN, Georgia Legal Nurse Consultants:"Discovery Partners provides a multitude of comprehensive nurse consulting services to attorneys, small and large businesses, and insurance companies. Services include Legal Nurse Consulting (med. mal, PI, WC, toxic torts, fraud, soc. security, PL, criminal, gen. negligence) , Disability and Workers' Compensation Case Management, Hearing Conservation Program Consultation and Administration, Ergonomics Consultations, Occupational Health Services Consultation, Medical/Health Related Educational offerings, as well as other consultative and support services."
P.O. Box 555
Conyers, Georgia 30012
Phone number: 770-602-4531
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com/dpclnc

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Discharge planning for CHF, Bandolier:"It is common for older people with congestive heart failure (CHF) to be readmitted to hospital within six months of hospital discharge. In the USA, up to half might expect to be readmitted, and it is stressful for the patients themselves, as well as consuming considerable resources. A new systematic review suggests that comprehensive discharge planning with post-discharge support can reduce readmission rates, and probably increase quality of care at lower cost [1]."
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band124/b124-3.html

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Discharging Your Baby from the NICU, The Best Place For Your Baby, Brigham and Women's Hospital:"Unlike other patients, premature and sick newborn infants often require hospitalization beyond the acute phase of illness because of issues related to the normal progress of growth, ability to maintain their own temperature, feeding, and the control of breathing. For this reason, most premature infants are not ready for discharge from the hospital until approximately 5-6 weeks before their original due date. All infants must be able to maintain their temperature in a crib, gain weight, bottle or breast all of their feeds, and be free of apnea and bradycardia spells for one week before discharge. As a reminder, all babies mature at different rates. They walk, talk, and potty train at different times, thus they are discharged at different times."
75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Phone: 1 (617) 732-5500
1 (617) 732-6458 TTY/TTD
For Patients requesting an appointment, call 1-800-BWH-9999
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/newbornmedicine/guidelines/guidelines.aspx?subID=submenu3

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Is Your Discharge Planning Effective? Brown-Spath & Associates:"Discharge planning provides a critical link between the treatment received by a hospitalized patient and the care provided to the patient after discharge. Ideally one designated person or team is accountable for the effective discharge of patients. This may be the patient’s primary nurse, a case manager, a dedicated discharge planner, or an inter-disciplinary team. Planning for a patient’s post-hospital needs care does not begin on the day a decision is made to release the patient from the hospital. It is generally accepted that discharge planning should start prior to admission (for planned admissions) or at the time of admission (for unplanned admissions). Discharge planning is not a single intervention; it involves several activities:"
Brown-Spath & Associates
PO Box 721
Forest Grove, OR 97116
Patrice@brownspath.com or call (503) 357-9185
http://www.brownspath.com/original_articles/displan.htm

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Discharge Planning, Overview, Children's Institute:"The process of discharge planning begins at the time of admission to The Children's Institute. The case manager gathers background information from the family about what services the child is currently receiving, what school the child attends, what special education services the child may receive at school, what agencies in the community are involved and what special organizations or vendors the child's insurance company or HMO may use. This is all part of the initial information gathering process that will eventually have an impact on the child's discharge plan."
6301 Northumberland Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217
Tel: 412-420-2400
http://www.amazingkids.org/cs_04.asp

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Discharge planning from hospital to home (Cochrane Review):"Discharge planning is a routine feature of health systems in many countries. The aim is to reduce hospital length of stay and unplanned readmission to hospital, and improve the co ordination of services following discharge from hospital thereby bridging the gap between hospital and place of discharge. Sometimes discharge planning is offered as part of an integrated package of care, which may cover both the hospital and community. The focus of this review is discharge planning that occurs while a patient is in hospital; we exclude studies that evaluate dischage planning with follow up care."
http://www.update-software.com/abstracts/AB000313.htm

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Essential Resources for Discharge Planning, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.:"Various public and private institutions contribute to homelessness by discharging their wards to the streets or shelters. Ending such practices is an important, current tactic in the struggle to end homelessness itself. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council encourages health care providers and other advocates for homeless people to examine the impact of ineffective institutional discharges on homelessness in your own communities and to advocate for policies that will help prevent homelessness."
National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.
HCH Clinicians' Network
P.O. Box 60427
Nashville, TN 37206-0427
Voice: 615.226.2292 Fax: 615.226.1656
Email: council@nhchc.org
http://www.nhchc.org/discharge/discharge.htm

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A Simple Plan. Discharge planning improves the odds, Nurseweek:"For many patients, getting ready to leave the hospital is one of the most critical aspects of their hospital stay. Recent studies have shown that careful discharge planning, along with good follow-up contact, can significantly improve patients’ health upon discharge while decreasing healthcare and social costs. Proper planning for departure from the hospital can make all the difference in patients’ long-term prognosis because it encourages them to get involved in managing their own care, said Patricia T. Castiglia, PhD, RN, FAAN, a pediatric nurse practitioner and dean and professor of nursing at the University of Texas at El Paso College of Nursing and Health Services. “With discharge planning, patients can maintain a level of health and improve it,” Castiglia said. “It also helps people assume more responsibility for their own health.”
NurseWeek Publishing
6860 Santa Teresa Blvd
San Jose, CA 95119
(800) 859-2091 Fax (408) 249-3756
http://www.nurseweek.com/features/99-6/discharg.html

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Discharge Planning Homepage, Division of Geriatrics at St. Paul's Hospital:"Welcome to the Discharge Planning Homepage. This module, produced by the Division of Geriatrics at St. Paul's Hospital in association with the Division of Educational Support and Development at UBC , is designed to increase your level of awareness of the process of planning the discharge of elderly patients from hospital. Learn about the theory behind the orchestration of a successful discharge from hospital by testing your strategy on a clinical case. We hope you enjoy this module and would appreciate any feedback. Good luck!"
317-2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3
Tel: (604) 822-2421 Fax: (604) 822-6061
http://www.med.ubc.ca/geriatrics/Geriatrics-andrew/homepage.html

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Test Your Discharge Planning Knowledge, St. Paul's Hospital/UBC:"Mrs. J.G. is an 83 year old lady living in a rooming house in the city's downtown core. She has two sons and one daughter. Mrs. J.G. speaks very little English, Ukranian being her first language. She was admitted after being found on the floor by a neighbour, having fallen in her room . She had not been seen by the other residents for two days prior to admission. On examination, extensive bruising was noted on her left side although the clinical exam did not show any clear evidence of fracture. She was conscious but very confused. Other features on examination included atrial fibrillation with a ventricular rate of 55/min. and some left flank tenderness. Temperature was 36.5 C. On assessment of her gait, Mrs. J.G. was very unsteady on her feet and unable to walk without one assist."
http://www.med.ubc.ca/geriatrics/Geriatrics-andrew/case.html

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Discharge Planning, Who is Responsible? Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre:"Many patients require care after discharge from the hospital. A team of professionals will help you to decide on the available services that will best meet your needs. Patients and families are responsible for many aspects of their own plan for the care they will need after leaving the hospital. Each member of the health care team will provide information about various alternatives available to assist patients with plans to meet their needs."
http://www.tbrhsc.net/patient_information/discharge_planning.asp

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