Abstract
The chapter deals with the issue of the safe discharge of patients at risk - frail seniors, vulnerable children, homeless or mentally ill people - from acute inpatient care to a home environment or another form of follow-up care. It is a very complex social-health problem, requiring broad transdisciplinary cooperation, which involves in the solution not only experts of various fields, but also the patient himself, his family and the community with an offer of formal and informal services and other resources that are part of his natural social environment.
It provides an overview of current approaches to solving this issue in domestic and foreign literature, and describes the focus of research and public policies. Emphasis is placed on the role of health and social workers and social work.