Discharge planning and transitional care: issues in Thai nursing

Discharge planning is part of the care process that places nurses in a pivo tal position in facilitating continuity of care for clients. This ethnograp hic study explored the current discharge practices of Thai nurses and exami ned how transitions from hospital to home were incorporated into Thai nursi ng practice. The study was conducted with registered nurses in an acute hos pital in central Thailand. Results indicated that the discharge process in this community was highly informal with several factors affecting the effec tiveness of nurses' discharge functions. Consequently, strategies to improv e this care process were proposed for further implementation. (C) 1999 Else vier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.