Discharge Teaching for Families Taking a Family Member Home from an Acute Care Setting

The discharge of an individual from an acute care setting concludes a teaching process that begins early in the individual's hospital visit. Evolving technology and health care cost containment have resulted in many patients receiving only stabilization of their health care need within an acute care setting. Health care needs are subsequently continued in either a subacute setting (e.g., a skilled nursing facility or a rehabilitation facility) or a home setting with assistance from home health nurses, other caregivers, or both. Due to shorter lengths of stay in acute care, the patient's ability to participate in discharge teaching may be compromised. The family assumes an increasingly important role as the individual leaves the support of the acute setting. Family members placed in the role of ...