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

The Hospital de Vall d’Hebron and the Barcelona North primary care have deployed a program of patient redistribution which has served to reduce the frequency of hospitalizations of about 350 complex cases, who, because of their pathologies, are admitted several times a year.

The ‘conseller’ de Salut, Manel Balcells, presented this Wednesday this program of coordination between Vall d’Hebron Hospital and primary care in Barcelona, deployed for the time being in the Barcelona North health area.

Balcells stressed that one of the challenges of the system is that. “fortunately there are more and more citizens who are getting older.” and, as a result, they accumulate illnesses that can frequently decompensate, often leading to hospitalization several times a year.

The vocation of the program is that these patient profiles. do not end up being admitted to the hospital. because they are undergoing preventive monitoring at another level of care.

In order to achieve this objective, Vall d’Hebron coordinates with the other devices in the area. so that part of these complex patients are managed at an intermediate level, i.e., with more capacity to deal with complexity than primary care, but without being a hospital.

This is the case of the Integrated Support Team for Complexity (ESIC) of Casernes in Barcelona, which has the. resources and the ability to to monitor on a periodic basis these patients to prevent them from decompensating and even have room for admission, if necessary.

Six months ago, Vall d’Hebron selected for this program. 350 patients, suffering from echronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) e heart failure, diseases more prevalent among the elderly and causing frequent admissions.

Patients

Among the selected patients, some were admitted more than three times a year and, in some cases, as many as nine times a year. Of these 350 patients, in the past half year “50% have been admitted to the hospital.” thanks to the application of the new program, emphasized the deputy director of care at Vall d’Hebron, María José Abadías.

One of these patients is Engracia, aged 82, who after several admissions to Vall d’Hebron was told to go directly to ESIC Casernes every month for controls.

“Every time I go, the doctor weighs me, tests me and depending on how he sees me, he puts me on the treatment and the tablets, and since coming to ESIC I have not been back to the hospital emergency room”, the patient celebrated.