Discharge Planning 1

Discharge Planning Project Guidelines

The patient is a 45-year-old female who was admitted to the hospital on September 2,
201 beca!se she was e"periencing shortness of breath# She c!rrently li$es in a ho!se with her
mother, !ncle, and niece# She was a day care teacher and retired in 200 beca!se of health
problems# She has a history of hypertension, asthma, diabetes type %%, hyperthyroidism, obesity,
and a sei&!re disorder#
'n the first night of her stay, the patient was p!t on a (iP)P to aid in breathing# The
morning of September 4, 201, the patient was off of contin!o!s (iP)P, on a nasal cann!la, and
able to con$erse with minimal dyspnea# 'n first shift assessment, her l!ngs were diminished
with whee&es in the !pper lobes# *er heart so!nds were normal and $itals were within normal
ranges#
Discharge diagnosis
The patient +nows that she was admitted to the hospital beca!se of an asthma e"acerbation#
She was diagnosed with asthma in 200 and has had se$eral pre$io!s hospitali&ations for
e"acerbations# The patient was ta!ght ways to minimi&e dyspnea while performing daily
acti$ities li+e sitting down while getting dressed and listening to her body telling her its getting
tired#
Medications
,ithin the discharge pac+et, pro$ided to the patient !pon discharge, is a medication list
of any new prescriptions or refills needed# The discharge pac+et will ha$e a list of the
medications and the time of the last dose and when the ne"t dose sho!ld be ta+en# The patient
stated that she !nderstands all the medications and why she is on them#
Discharge Planning 2
Home assessment
The patient c!rrently li$es with her mother, sister, !ncle, and niece# This is a fairly safe
li$ing sit!ation, howe$er, the !ncle is a smo+er# The smo+e that s!rro!nds the !ncle tends to
increase occ!rrence of shortness of breath and the asthma e"acerbations# The patient states that
she has disc!ssed -!itting and how debilitating the second hand smo+e is with her !ncle, yet he
is not interested in changing# The patient relies on herself, mother, and niece for transportation#
She is able to get her medications, food, and get to follow !p appointments on her own !s!ally#
The patient does ha$e some financial concerns beca!se she li$es on disability money she
recei$es, b!t she states she hasn.t had problems paying for medications or other re-!ired care#
Follow up
Post-discharge, it wo!ld benefit the patient to ha$e a few $isits from home health
ser$ices# These $isits co!ld help the patient find ways to minimi&e dyspnea while performing
acti$ities of daily li$ing# %t co!ld also benefit the family to ha$e a teaching abo!t second hand
smo+e and healthier lifestyle# There were no follow !p appointments sched!led# The patient
might want to follow !p with a p!lmonologist or respiratory therapist# 'ther team members
incl!ded in discharge teaching need to be physical therapy and occ!pational therapy as well as
home health and respiratory therapy#
Summary
%n order to promote the health of the patient, the patient m!st !nderstand the disease
processes and how to li$e a healthier life# She m!st state the common signs and symptoms of an
asthma e"acerbation and how to minimi&e the symptoms when they occ!r# She m!st identify
triggers of the asthma and learn to a$oid or minimi&e them# She m!st show how to properly !se
her inhaler and state the appropriate time to !se it and when to notify her physician#