An integral part of quality hospital care is the planning involved for the timely and safe discharge of patients once their course of medical treatment requiring hospitalization is complete. In the majority of cases, patients enter the hospital with a medical condition, for which medical goals are established, agreed upon, and accomplished, resulting in a successful discharge. However, in some cases sound discharge planning encounters difficult challenges, including ethical conflicts, particularly in the growing population of patients with complex chronic diseases. Lifestyle-related risk factors such as poor nutrition and lack of exercise, and alcohol and drug use disorders cause, or contribute to many of these illnesses, such as heart and lung disease, obesity, diabetes, and addiction. These patients frequently have difficulty managing their illness and adhering to therapeutic regimens. Other conditions, like various forms of dementia, progressively deprive the individual of the ability to self-manage or participate in treatment.