In addition, our 3-stage approach in developing a discharge policy framework involved statements on collaboration/communication between different type of healthcare professionals, patients, carers, and community service provision.
Because NCMCH applies a discharge policy of ≥48 h for vaginally delivered infants and ≥72 h for those delivered by cesarean section, the parents were advised to return to the outpatient clinic for follow-up measurements.
The findings will provide information critical for the development of a discharge planning policy in Hong Kong.
This is because our 'standard' management guidelines already incorporate a policy of discharge when patients are afebrile for 24 h and with a rising neutrophil count, irrespective of the absolute value (Marshall et al, 2000).
Often, but not always, the hospital ward tells the CSP to contact the hospital again if they have problems after discharge: Hospital physician:" We have a policy of open doors.
This differential in the way activity is recorded has given rise to some confusion about what the true level of demand is as some services appear to have a policy to discharge patients early, subsequently leading to readmissions for ongoing care, which in turn appear to duplicate admissions.
Another contributing factor in this regard, may be the fact that the particular inpatient units these patients had access to are continuously under significant pressure, with a crisis discharge policy often prompting early discharges to create beds for patient who are more ill.
Some clinics responded with a policy of not discharging patients but rather maintaining an open-ended relationship based on ongoing support for self-management and independence.
"However," the emailed statement said, "our hospital's policy is to offer homeless and other vulnerable patients linkages to support services". The hospital "follows an established discharge planning policy and always strives to ensure that patients are offered assistance", it said.
The need to establish an effective discharge planning policy and guideline has been given attention, together with the trend toward starting the discharge planning process upon admission, adopting a multidisciplinary approach, and coordinating for post-discharge care support [ 20].
A system-wide discharge planning policy has not been established in Hong Kong.
