Current health care practice discharge planning has emerged as a major professional function in hospital settings. To examine the tasks involved in discharge planning and how frequently they are being performed, 124 Alabama hospitals were contacted with a 72% rcsponse rate. Of the 178 surveys returned by discharge planners the core tasks were identified and ranked in terms of performance frequency. The results revealed that the tasks performed typically resembled that of generalist social workers. When specialization occurred, it was related to the populations served and not the specialized tasks or methods utilized. From this data recommendations are made for linking advanced generalist social work practice to discharge planning activities.

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Historically the tasks involved in discharge planning have been a part of the practice of social work as well as the field of nursing. Based on this history and need for collaboration, a study conducted in 1998 measured the responses of 178 nurses and social workers who practiced discharge planning in 58 different hospitals in Alabama. According to the information gathered in this sample, it was clear that social workers as well as nurses continued to be important service providers in the area of discharge planning. Demographic data, work setting, caseload, and task difference were compared and significant differences were reported. This article makes recommendations for social work's participation in advocacy, policy, and outcome research in discharge planning.

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