Transforming the traditional discharge planning manual

Abstract

Discharge planning resources change frequently, and keeping them current, available, and accessible to case management (CM) staff and others is a challenge. Given the time-consuming and labor-intensive nature of updating, many organizations revise them in preparation for the triannual survey or when they are hopelessly out-of-date. The reality is that CM staff and others involved with discharges have their own personal “little black book” of resources. Those personal reference tools are treated with reverence and guarded like the family Bible.

Organizations are challenged to have up-to-date resources available and accessible for staff in all areas. One approach is to transform the traditional paper-based manual into an electronic document and make it available on the organization's intranet. This approach means that each page of the current paper-based manual must be in electronic format, ending the use of overcopied resources that become difficult to read and “grandfathered in” to each successive edition of the paper manual. This option permits easy and rapid updates when resources and information change.