Free
Research Article  |   February 1997
Understanding the Transition to Community Living After Discharge From an Acute Care Hospital: An Exploratory Study
Marie Gage; Joanne Valiant Cook; Karen Fryday-Field
Author Affiliations
  • Marie Gage, MSc, BSc(OT), is Owner, Collective Wisdom Management, RR #2, Haliburton, Ontario KOM 1SO, Canada
  • Joanne Valiant Cook, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
  • Karen Fryday-Field, BSc(PT), is Managing Partner, Meridan Edge Consulting, London, Ontario, Canada
Article Information
Research
Research Article   |   February 1997
Understanding the Transition to Community Living After Discharge From an Acute Care Hospital: An Exploratory Study
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, February 1997, Vol. 51, 96-103. doi:10.5014/ajot.51.2.96
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, February 1997, Vol. 51, 96-103. doi:10.5014/ajot.51.2.96
Abstract

Objectives. This study was conducted to obtain patients’ experiences in making the transition from an acute care hospital to their homes in the community.

Method. Data were gathered through group and telephone interviews with a volunteer sample of 27 discharged patients. Analysis involved two stages: categorization of shared themes and interpretation of individual occupational experiences.

Results. Informants described their experiences of transition in terms that were analytically categorized as Perceived Self-Efficacy, Resources, Dimensions of Occupation, and Environmental Constraints and Opportunities. Analysis of individual patient transcripts suggests the presence of an hierarchical ordering of desired occupations.

Conclusion. Understanding patients’perceptions of enabling and disabling experiences has implications for predischarge and postdischarge practice in occupational therapy.