Discharge preparation can help patients smoothly transition from one health care environment to another. In the medical institutions of foreign countries, discharge preparation is one of the main responsibilities of medical social workers. However, in China, there is currently relatively little involvement of social workers in discharge preparation.

To understand the intervention space and realistic challenges faced by medical social workers in the field of discharge preparation, and provide reference basis for improving social work in discharge preparation.

Using purposive sampling method from March to June 2023, based on a multidisciplinary perspective, adopt the qualitative interview method to conduct in-depth interviews with 20 medical personnel (including doctors, nurses, medical social workers, and medical management personnel). The interview data is organized and analyzed using Nvivo 12.0 software and the Colaizzi seven step analysis method.

Medical social workers mainly carry out psychological and social assessments, develop professional service plans, provide social work interventions, and conduct follow-up in the field of discharge preparation services. While accumulating some local practical experience, they also face many realistic challenges, including insufficient access to social resources, multiple obstacles to the linkage between hospital and community, the lack of a standardized mechanism, inadequate interdisciplinary collaboration, a shortage of human resources for social workers, the need to improve their comprehensive abilities.

Promote the development of social work services for discharge preparation in China, by advocating for the construction of the social policy system and mechanism, building a multidisciplinary cooperation platform for hospitals, promoting the comprehensive capacity building of medical social workers.