Describing pediatric hospital discharge planning care processes using the Omaha System.

PURPOSE: Although discharge planning (DP) is recognized as a critical component of hospital care, national initiatives have focused on older adults, with limited focus on pediatric patients. We aimed to describe patient problems and targeted interventions as documented by social workers or DP nurses providing specialized DP services in a children's hospital.

METHODS: Text from 67 clinical notes for 28 patients was mapped to a standardized terminology (Omaha System). Data were deductively analyzed.

RESULTS: A total of 517 phrases were mapped. Eleven of the 42 Omaha System problems were identified. The most frequent problem was health care supervision (297/517; 57.4%). Three Omaha System intervention categories were used (teaching, guidance, and counseling; case management; and surveillance). Intervention targets are varied by role.

CONCLUSION: The findings provide a rich description of the nature of DP for complex pediatric patients and increase our understanding of the work of DP staff and the influence of the DP practice model.