Abstract: Objective To explore the advantages,disadvantages,opportunities and challenges of the third-level hospitals and community health service institutions on carrying out transitional care,to provide ideas and references for the sustainable development of transitional care and the promotion of the two-way referral and grading treatment. Methods Using SWOT analysis method,we made from the theoretical perspective an in-depth analysis of the feasibility and dilemmas in the transitional care between the third-level hospital;community health service organization.And we made a further illustration based on the practical experience of a first-class hospital at Grade 3 in Yichang since May,2012. Results Transitional care can effectively integrate and use the existing health resources under the conditions that the third-level hospitals lacking sickbeds while the community health services sparing lots of sickbeds.It can promote the rational distribution of patients and improve the sickbed turnover of third-level hospitals,improve the level of medical personnel of the community health service institutions and the degree of trust of patients on the community health service institutions,and promote the implementation of grading treatment.However,the social awareness of the transitional care is still inadequate,two-way referral mechanism and transitional care system is not still perfect,community nursing is still with weak abilities and unable to undertake all the referral patients from the third-level hospitals,all these factors are the key to restrict transitional care. Conclusion Under the attention and support of the government,we can fully use the local medical resources,overcome the disadvantages,utilize the external opportunities and resolve various challenges,carry out the transitional care between third-level hospitals and community health service institutions,ensure the sustainable development of nursing,and lay the foundation for the promotion of two-way referral and grading treatment work.