On January 1, a new law on collaboration in hospital discharge came into force. The purpose is, among other things, that a patient in need of continued intervention should be discharged from the closed care more quickly, after the person is judged to be ready for discharge by a doctor.
Since the law was introduced, the number of days in which patients who are ready to go to hospital are hospitalized has decreased in the Örebro Region. In 2017, this was a total of 18,679 days, while last year the corresponding figure was 8,065.
- The big advantage is that the patient comes home to any home environment, either to short-term housing, elderly residents or actually home with support in the home. Then you get the help you need in a better way than you get in a hospital. Because in the municipalities, you are an expert in this type of nursing, ”says Karin Sundin (S), regional council and chair of the health board.
Even before the law came into force, preparations were made in the region. At the three hospitals, for example, there are discharge coordinators who, early on when the patient comes to the hospital for a dialogue with the municipality in which the patient is registered in the population, as well as the health center.
- It is to ensure early on that there is a chain around the patient once it will be medically completed by the hospital.
There are jobs left to doHas the law had any impact on the reduction of print-ready days?
- Yes it has, it has forced us to a more effective collaboration, which we might have had to work with a little earlier. But it became very clear to us when the law came that we had to hook arm in a good way.
But there is still work to be done, says Karin Sundin. And in a time of tough economic times, there are also challenges.
- On the one hand, it is tough in several of our municipalities to make sure that you have enough places on short-term housing and the elderly, that work is going on in all our municipalities to make sure it is in tough economic times.