Another stage of cancer may be more amenable to an intense focus on palliation. In many cases a balance between both is the goal. Transitions also occur with movement from one level of care to another, such as from inpatient acute care to subacute or home care, nursing home, rehabilitation facilities, or hospice programs. The process of planning for these transitions is frequently referred to as discharge planning because it implies a release from one facility to another. Nonetheless, discharge planning must embrace the concept of the continuum of care, or care will become fragmented.
All transitions necessitate some degree of change.
A change, whether viewed as positive or negative, generates stress for the patient, family, and staff. Protocols should be developed for these transitions with the goal of minimizing stress and ensuring good patient care. Outpatient care is broadly defined to include home care, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and hospice care. Often, it is the person with the illness or his or her family who carries information from one member of the health care team to another. As an illness becomes more burdensome and complex, a formalized and defined mechanism which is clear to all team members is imperative.