Transitional Nursing Project

In  Japan , the hospital classification and innovative critical pathways have led to shortened length of stay in hospital. However, there are many patients who cannot recover completely within the designated time frame. Consequently, many patients and families require ongoing support after discharge to enhance symptom management and self care to prevent readmission to hospital. We have secured funding (15 million yen) from the Government since April 2003. The main purposes of this project are 1) to clarify the needs of the patients and family during the transitional period; 2) to develop a model of nursing support for this transition and 3) to explore the application of “ Transitional Nursing Theory ” to this problem.