Medical surgical on discharge planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Medical surgical on discharge planning - Essay Example Discharge planning is about determining what a patient needs for a smooth move from one level of care to the other, as they shift from a hospital surgical ward to recover at home as an outpatient. It is certainly best to prepare a patient for recovery rather than to leave them in the dark to experience new things all by themselves because not knowing can have negative consequences. This write-up presents discharge planning for a patient who has had Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery performed on them in a surgical ward and is preparing to shift to their home. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery (CABG) is a surgical procedure that is performed to open blocked coronary arteries using grafts from a patient’s own arteries or veins located in the leg, arm or chest (Senagore, 2004, Pp. 346 – 352) and (Fuster, 2009, Chapter 65). The grafted arteries or veins replace blocked coronary arteries to restore blood flow to the heart and to present an improved performance by this vital organ, resulting in relief from chest pain, ischemia and an improvement in patient’s quality of life together with expectations of prolonging a patient’s life. However, CBGR is an invasive procedure carried out under general anaesthesia and the patient recovers under intensive care with assisted breathing administered by a mechanical ventilator. Prior to discharge, the patients usually spend a few days under observation in a non-surgical unit and are counselled and prepared for their discharge. Discharge planning refers to the process that is used to determine what a patient needs for a smooth move from one level of care to the other (Birjandi, 2009, Pp. 1 – 2). It is important to understand that discharge planning is not just about assisting patients to arrange for care after leaving a hospital. Discharge planning is about observing, analysing and deciding about how best to assist a patient to continue with their recovery at home after a physician has