CNL610 Week 8 Discussions
1. Why is it important to consider the first session at the beginning of discharge planning? Why is it essential to prepare an accurate and consistent discharge summary? Be sure to include ethical considerations and involvement of the client.
Discharge planning starts once a client(s) begin programming to ensure that the client receives support once they complete the treatment plan. Considering the first session of discharge planning is significant for it helps the counselor to work with the client directly, inquire the kinds of support programs that would be helpful to the patient, and provide the client with information and referrals to discharge supports including support groups, individual therapy, case management services, psychiatry, dialectical behavioral therapy, day treatment programs, and more (Khaleghparast, et al., 2014)This session enables the counselor to involve the client in reviewing the discharge/referral options and scheduling follow-up appointments. Preparing an accurate and consistent discharge summary is integral for it ensures a strong discharge plan and helps reduce the risk of relapse. Also, the discharge summary’s validity and reliability increase the effectiveness of treatment planning and follow-up sessions. In this doing, patient information must be kept secure, confidential, and free from third-party access (Khaleghparast, et al., 2014). Also, there is a need for the client, to be honest with the clinician on the type of discharge support he/she needs.
2. How would you prepare a client for discharge? What information should be discussed in sessions leading up to termination?
Preparing the client for discharge is not a complex task. Different clinicians embrace different tactics when preparing their patients for discharge. In this noble counselor role, I would first communicate with the client like two weeks before the actual discharge is done (Block et al., 2014). Next, I would plan for the resources required to be available before the patient leaves the treatment to avoid rushing to do these in the last moments. These include things like home-based care, medications, and other care resources. This would also involve arranging for the patient’s help by the family or any other immediate person. Besides, I would document the patient’s information in a file for reference. Other important aspects of documentation would be the discharge instructions to inform the client of the diagnosed disorders, which require critical care to avoid relapse (Block et al., 2014). The information to be discussed with the client before the termination are prognosis, medication modality, and treatment/medication frequency.
References
- Block, L., Morgan‐Gouveia, M., Levine, R. B., & Cayea, D. (2014). We could have done a better job: a qualitative study of medical student reflections on safe hospital discharge. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1147-1154.
- Khaleghparast, S., Ghanbari, B., Kahani, S., Malakouti, K., SeyedAlinaghi, S., & Sudhinaraset, M. (2014). The effectiveness of discharge planning on the knowledge, clinical symptoms and hospitalization frequency of persons with schizophrenia: a longitudinal study in two hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2215-2222.