Therapeutic aspects of discharge planning.

ABSTRACT

Many aspects of the discharge-planning function have been discussed by social workers, but the therapeutic possibilities inherent in this task have been largely ignored. Examining the social context within which illness, hospitalization, and convalescence or adaptation occur permits recognition of the alternatives for creative intervention. This examination also provides a framework for understanding the intrinsically disruptive nature of discharge from an acute care setting as well as the dangers and possibilities for change.