title: Hospital staff's perceptions of risk associated with the discharge of elderly people from acute hospital care.
abstract: As part of the exploratory work for a project on discharge planning of elderly people (75+ years of age) from acute care, the concept of risk was discussed with a sample of consultants; ward sisters; staff nurses; a social worker; occupational therapist; pharmacist; and some physiotherapists. The factors which they identified as being relevant to 'risky discharges' were organized under seven headings: medical factors; mobility; social surroundings; personality; habits; social support; and external factors. These findings are presented within the context of a review of relevant literature and some conclusions are drawn.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Research Unit, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Macmillan
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010551:Personality; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012648:Self Care; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires