Continuing care in the community.

Abstract

Early discharge from the hospital or home health agency necessitates effective continuity of care planning in order to assure that patients and families will have their health care needs met after discontinuance of formal health care services. In this article, we have defined continuity of care from several perspectives, presented two theoretical viewpoints on this concept, and, with four models of care that have actually been implemented, analyzed the commonalities and differences among models. In addition, recommendations for future research and care delivery for the purpose of enhancement of continuity of care have been made.