Abstract:
This study aimed to know and understand patients’ perspectives of their experiences of partial psychiatric hospitalization in a daycare hospital preceding discharge and focused on expectations and on planning about this event. In total, eight people hospitalized in a daycare hospital who were scheduled to be discharged participated in this study. Each participant answered an open interview. The data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. Participants expressed ambiguous feelings by the proximity of their discharge, such as insecurity of losing service support and satisfaction with the end of the hospital treatment. Patients appreciated the practices and postures that considered them a person situated in a story, encompassing affective relationships, expectations, frustrations, and future plans. Understanding how patients experience discharge contributes to considering this event as a process intertwined in a historical and social experience, signaling the relevance of extended, longitudinal, and comprehensive care.
Key words:
Hospital Discharge; Mental Health Services; Psychiatric Reform; Hospitalization