Medical-Surgical Nursing:Assessment and Managementof Clinical Problems 9th Edition by Sharon Lewis,Shannon Ruff Dirksen,Margaret McLean Heitkemper,Linda Bucher

Exercise 24

CASE STUDY: Burn Patient in Rehabilitation Phase Patient Profile D.K. is a 30-year-old woman who has been in the burn center for 3 weeks. She sustained partial- and full-thickness burns to both hands and forearms while cooking. She has undergone three surgeries for escharotomy and split-thickness skin grafting. She is married and has three young children at home. Her health care providers feel she is nearly ready for discharge but she has been tearful and noncompliant with therapy. D.K. and her husband refuse to look at her hand grafts, which continue to require light dressings. She has not seen her children since admission
-When should discharge planning be initiated with D.K.? Who should be involved in the planning and implementation of the educational process before discharge?