Unique project in Quebec: a solution to avoid that most patients end up in the emergency room

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QMI agency

Thursday, 1 February 2018 22:02

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Thursday, 1 February 2018 22:02

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MONTREAL – With the flu, which hit Quebec, we wonder how to reduce congestion in the emergency hospital. On the territory of the borough of Verdun, Montreal, a simple solution has been put forward and benefits especially for seniors.

All days of the week, the nurse Hélène Lefebvre goes home to meet with very ill patients who need care quickly.

This is the case for Claudette Lemire, a woman of 78 years who suffers from lung problems. Without the visit of the nurse in the home support acute, she would have been left to the emergency room of the Hospital of Verdun. It happened several times during the last few years.

“It is not easy to get on a stretcher, in a corridor,” she said, short of breath.

For the past two years, the integrated Center for academic health and social services (CIUSSS) of the Centre-South-Island-of-Montreal has created a unique project in Quebec, with two nurses, who worked previously in the emergency room, and about a dozen doctors who also visit to tower of role in the home and who have a varied practice, as Dr. Mireille Aylwin. The project is intended primarily for people 65 years of age and older who have multiple diseases, loss of mobility, confusion, or pain.

The nurses visit each between two and five patients per day, who remain in the sector of Verdun.

“I have lung problems and heart, kidney failure, diabetes”, has detailed Pierre Bergeron, 71 years of age, whose health is deteriorating and confined almost continuously to a wheelchair.

Before that these home care exist, he had to go five times to the er and was hospitalized twice in a short time. It has been infected with C difficile during one of his stays.

“It prevents the elderly from contracting influenza by staying at home. It also prevents many unnecessary tests. For some, the hospital becomes an environment toxic,” said Dr. Aylwin.

For the past two years, the service has assisted 700 patients. Some 70 % of them are aged over 75 years.

“In two cases on three, they have avoided visits to the emergency room, explained the nurse Hélène Lefebvre. It is certain that, in the most serious cases, we shall sometimes refer to the hospital.”

The CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal and hopes to expand the service over the weekend.

This initiative avoids various problems, and allows you to save money. It will be presented to nurses in all French-speaking countries at a congress that will be held in France in June.

-According to a report from Harold Won