Transitional care: analysis of the concept in hospital discharge management

ABSTRACT

Objective

to analyze the concept of Transitional Care in the context of hospital discharge management.

Method

analytical reflection using the Walker and Avant's conceptual analysis: concept selection; definition of the objective, identification of the use of the concept (literature search and dictionaries between September-December/2019 in the databases: PubMed, Virtual Health Library and SCOPUS. A total of 77 articles that contemplated the concept and other terms that corroborated the study were considered; for methodological purposes, 12 studies enabled the analysis); definition of attributes; description of model case; description of additional cases; definition of antecedents and consequents; definition of empirical indicators.

Results

the fragmented care and readmission antecedents are common to the concept. The attributes integrated care, professional collaboration, coordination, discharge planning, communication, professional integration, and case management were identified.

Conclusion and Implications for practice

it was opportune to analyze the concept together with terms related to the context of hospital discharge. Transitional Care is coordinated and effective practices for the Continuity of Care in the transference of the user at hospital discharge; in this context, Liaison Nurses are potential protagonists to be ahead in this Integration process. The specificities of the concept may favor its understanding and the construction of knowledge that has repercussions on coordinated and continuous care.

Keywords:
Patient Discharge; Transitional Care; Continuity of Patient Care; Intersectoral Collaboration; Nurses