Always looking for new solutions to free up hospital beds and improve the quality of care, Quebec is launching the deployment of the home hospitalization service on Monday. The first phase targets eight integrated health and social services centers (CISSS) and integrated university health and social services centers (CIUSSS) in the greater Montreal and Quebec City regions.
These first eight health territories should be able to offer this service to patients by 2024, announced the Minister for Health and Seniors, Sonia Bélanger. If their condition allows it, patients who wish to do so can continue their treatment at home while remaining under the supervision of a medical team.
Thanks to connected devices, medical staff are able to monitor the progress of the patient remotely. Generally, an iPad is given to the patient and this tablet is connected by wireless technology to sensors measuring blood pressure, heartbeat, blood sugar or other indicators.
At the same time, we gain by reducing the hospital stay, which makes it possible to avoid more significant deconditioning. A harmful consequence that particularly affects hospitalized seniors.
It is also promised that the patient hospitalized at home will have regular communication with his care team. She will be offered in-person tours and virtual tours. It will also be possible to talk on the phone with a nurse at any time.
Already at the Jewish General Hospital
While the first phase of the project primarily concerns the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the CIUSSS de l’Ouest -de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the CISSS des Laurentides, the CISSS de Laval, the CISSS de Lanaudière, the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre and the CHU de Québec-Université Laval, the objective is to set up in 34 establishments and service centers in Quebec.
Minister Delegate Sonia Bélanger announced the project along with the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, Youri Chassin, and the President of the Federation of Medical Specialists of Quebec (FMSQ), Dr.r Vincent Olive.
The Dr Oliva points out that this practice has already been going on at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal for nearly a year and a half and that the satisfaction rate of patients and medical staff is very high.
Thus, if there may be inconveniences for the doctor not to physically rub shoulders with his patient in the hospital, they are largely compensated by the benefits of patient comfort. Moreover, according to the Dr Oliva, communication by videoconference is often enough to get a good idea of the patient’s general condition.
Increase hospital capacity
Sending patients home more quickly creates new room for maneuver for hospitals. Establishments can thus increase their hospitalization capacity by accumulating these “beds” remotely.
“Already, we know that there is a shortage of beds in hospitals. Our capacity is weak, notes the Dr Olive. Knowing that, yes the idea is to increase our hospitalization capacity and then ensure that the patients who end up in the hospital are the ones who really need to be there. »
The new flexibility could eventually help reduce surgical waiting lists since the new beds available could be dedicated to these patients.
The initiative will be partly funded by the Institute for the Relevance of Medical Acts (IPAM), whose funds come from the remuneration envelope for specialist doctors and savings generated by its work. $40 million is to be spent on the hospital-at-home project by 2026.
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