CARE TRANSITION FROM HOSPITAL TO HOME: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify nurses’ activities in the transition of care from hospital to home based on literature evidence. Integrative review conducted in August 2015, through search of PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, SCOPUS and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature databases. Twenty-two (22) articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected. Interventional, experimental and quasi-experimental studies with elderly and patients with chronic diseases were identified. The results showed five thematic categories related to the main activities of nurses in transitional care: planning for discharge; assistance in social rehabilitation; health education; coordination with other services; post-discharge follow-up. It is concluded that improvement of care practices and organization of nurses’ activities is needed, to ensure the coordination of care focused on transition from hospital to home.

Keywords

• Transitional care
• Patient discharge
• Continuity of Patient Care
• Nursing