Nursing-led in-patient units for intermediate care: a survey of multidisciplinary discharge planning practice

The effectiveness of post-acute intermediate care in nursing-led intermediate care in-patient units (NLIU) has been studied over the past 20 years. Accounts, both positive and negative, have tended to view it as a uni-disciplinary intervention. The previous studies are in effect a series of single case studies and as such need to be accompanied by richer descriptions of care processes in order to be useful. A survey was conducted, in parallel with a randomized-controlled trial (n=177), to compare multidisciplinary care and discharge planning practice on the NLIU with 16 wards that referred patients to it. The findings identify that a wide range of professions participate in care on the NLIU with physiotherapists and occupational therapists most widely involved. In general the team composition and care processes differed little between the NLIU and control wards. There was some evidence that there was lower participation in care on the NLIU from occupational therapy and social work. It is concluded that the NLIU is a complex multidisciplinary intervention. Positive results from some NLIUs may only be generalizable to settings with similar skill mix across the multidisciplinary team as that found in the acute hospital. Reduced skill mix may be a causal factor leading to extended stays and increased total care costs. This caution should be extended to other models of intermediate care, whether or not they are nursing-led.