A Vall d’Hebron and primary care program reduces the frequency of hospital admissions

Vall d’Hebron Hospital and the Barcelona North Primary Care rolled out a program redistribution of patients which served to reduce the frequency of hospitalizations of some 350 complex cases, who, because of their pathologies, are admitted several times a year.

The “conseller” of Salut, Manel Balcells, presented this Wednesday this program of coordination between Vall d’Hebron Hospital and Barcelona Primary Care, currently deployed in the Barcelona North health area.

Balcells pointed out that one of the challenges facing the system is the following. “fortunately, there are more and more citizens who are aging”. and, consequently, they accumulate illnesses which can frequently decompensate, often resulting in hospitalization several times a year.

The objective of the program is to ensure that these patient profiles don’t end up being admitted to the hospital. because they are subject to preventive follow-up at another level of care.

In order to achieve this objective, Vall d’Hebron coordinates with other devices in the area so that some of these complex patients are taken care of at an intermediate level, that is to say with a capacity to treat the complexity greater than that of primary care, but without being a hospital.

This is the case of the Equipo de Apoyo Integral a la Complejidad (ESIC) de Casernes in Barcelona, ​​which has the resources and the ability to to be monitored regularly these patients to prevent them from decompensating and even to have room for an admission, if necessary.

Six months ago, the Vall d’Hebron was selected for this program. 350 patients, suffering from thchronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) e heart failure, illnesses that are more prevalent in older people and result in frequent admissions.

patients

Among the selected patients, some were admitted more than three times a year and in some cases, up to nine times a year. Of these 350 patients, in the last semester “50% were admitted to hospital”. thanks to the application of the new program, said the assistant director of care in Vall d’Hebron, Maria Jose Abadias.

One of these patients is Thank you, 82-year-old, who, after several admissions in Vall d’Hebron, was ordered to go straight to the hospital. ESIC Barracks every month for checks.

“Every time I go, the doctor weighs me, does tests and, depending on how he sees me, he puts me on the…”. treatment and the tablets, and since I came to the ESIC, I haven’t gone back to the hospital emergency room,” rejoiced the patient.