[Necessity of discharge planning of patients with malignant tumors]

Patients with malignant tumors and their families have to worry about many things when they leave the hospital including future changes of their medical conditions, home care, and the pros and cons of re-hospitalization. We examined the effects of discharge planning for 148 patients with malignant tumors who had been treated by our clinic as a part of discharge support in terms of anxiety relief and the length of home care. An adequate discharge planning reduced anxieties of patients as well as their families, and it also extended the period of home care significantly. Although discharge planning was effective, the early commencement of support and the involvement of medical social workers and nurses are necessary to perform it adequately. Therefore, it is necessary to train ward-nursing staffs for selecting patients who need discharge planning, and to create a department consisting of medical social workers and nurses who specialize in discharge planning.