A follow-up study of chronically ill patients discharged from hospital." Paper presented at the 91st. annual meeting of the American Public Health Association

LDNGTERM illness tests severely the ability of patients and families to look after themselves and of communities to supply the necessary therapeutic and supportive services. Something is known about how patients are cared for in hospitals but much less about how they fare when they are discharged, often to fend for themselves. In order to gain some insight into the nature and magnitude of this problem a study was made of 82 patients before and after discharge from the ward services of three general hospitals in the Boston Metropolitan Area. The selection of cases and their medical apprisal were entrusted to a resident or a visiting physician. Patients were chosen from one of three categories of illness of specified severity as follows: (a) heart disease with a maximum functional capacity of II, or a maximum therapeutic classification of C§[l]; (b) rheumatoid arthritis sufficiently disabling to make it difficult or impossible for the patient to pursue the normal activities of the patient’s age, sex, and physical development [2]; and (c) diabetes requiring at least 30 units of insulin a day for its control. Patients who fell into these three categories of illness were selected in the order in which they wer