Home Hospitalisation

After the first years of activity, the services of the Home Hospitalisation Unit allowed approximately three hundred users to be treated at home. Maria da Luz Brazão, who coordinates this unit, expressed satisfaction with the balance and revealed that, with an average treatment time of eight days, they have managed to save about 2,908 hospitalisation days.

Maria da Luz Brazão, Director of the Internal Medicine service of the Regional Health Service of Madeira (SESARAM), indicated that, during the last two years, 433 patients were observed, of which 301 received home treatments.

In a statement, the chairman of SESARAM’s Board of Directors, Herberto Jesus, stated:

“They are people with very specific criteria, who can stay at home. These are pathologies that are generally not very serious, and we can do them on an outpatient basis,” he explained, pointing out that the decision is based on clinical criteria and also on the evaluation of the conditions of the residences to accommodate these patients. He further highlighted that family environments can have a very positive effect and that, generally, patients healed faster at home than they would in a hospital environment. Mortality rates currently stand at 1.3%.

Recent protocols signed with nursing homes allow for an “expansion” of the home hospitalisation service network, ensuring that patients who are in nursing homes can be treated in places where they are institutionalised.

“This will allow for greater care as a specialised SESARAM team can be sent to care for a patient, without the need of moving them.  By doing this, we can reduce the pressure on our hospitals, provide better care, and lessen the risk of infection.” Herberto Jesus concluded.

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com