Abstract
[Purpose] Discharge planning is important at advanced treatment hospitals. Therefore, we investigated the participation of physiotherapists in discharge arrangements at a university hospital, an advanced treatment hospital. [Subjects and Method] We investigated patients discharge from the hospital involving the Department of Physiotherapy and/or Department of Medical Community Network & Discharge Planning over 3 months, Physiotherapists’ participation in discharge arrangement was also investigated for patients belonging and not belonging to the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and differences between the two groups were analyzed. [Result] In patient discharges involving both departments, the rate of transfer to other hospitals was significantly high. Physiotherapists participated in discharge arrangement significantly more frequently for patients who did not belong to the Department of Orthopedic Surgery than for those belonging to it. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that active participation in the discharge arrangement is needed by physiotherapists belonging to advanced treatment hospitals, especially for patients with non-orthopedic conditions.
