Of a total of 17,826 hospitalizations registered on February 18, 1,551 were “inappropriate hospitalizations”, plus 722 (87% more) compared to the previous edition of the Barómetro de Internamentos Sociais, an increase which contributed to the increase in the coverage of the study sample , which went from 79% of the beds in the third edition of the barometer to 90% in the current edition.
The total number of days of social hospitalization was 119,971, with 77.4 days being the national average delay for inappropriate hospitalization, 21% less than in the previous edition of the barometer that goes in the fourth edition.
Lisbon and Vale do Tejo are the regions with the highest number of social admissions, representing 81% of the total, says the study, according to which 80% of these patients are over 65 years old.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the president of APAH, Alexandre Lourenço, said that the study covered 40 entities from the SNS and the Regional Health Service of the Azores, seven more compared to the previous edition, and “had coverage of about 90% of the total of beds ”, 9.6% more than the last study.
For Alexandre Lourenço, the number of social admissions (8.7%, 4% more than in the previous year) is “very overwhelming”.
“About one in ten hospitalizations are unnecessary and we could be providing more appropriate care outside these institutions to these patients,” he said.
“The associated financial value, which exceeds 180 million euros, is also very striking”, he stressed, considering that it ends up being “a waste” because it could be applied in the development of the National Network of Continuing Care or in the development of social responses.
“It would be much better used and with better results for the health of patients who remain hospitalized due to the lack of extra-hospital responses”, he justified.
As reasons for the increase in the number of these hospitalizations, he pointed out the “greater coverage” of this barometer compared to previous editions, which allows to obtain “a better picture of the national situation”.
Despite the fact that these patients are discharged from the clinic, most of them remain in the hospital (57%) because they are waiting for a vacancy in the National Continuing Care Network, 16% due to incapacity for a family or caregiver to respond and 9% are waiting for a vacancy in a nursing home .
Alexandre Loureço warned that because they are in hospitals “more than two months” these patients are subject to a series of problems, namely the risk of hospital infections, loss of autonomy and functionality.
“Because each day more hospitalized, the patient will lose functionality and then it will be much more difficult for the family to receive him at home, since he ends up being physically very limited, often requiring rehabilitation care”, stressed.
Covid-19: One in five patients remains hospitalized for social reasons
About one in five patients admitted with covid-19 remains in the hospital for social reasons, most of whom are over 70, according to data released today by the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators (APAH).
The data are contained in the Covid-19 Social Internment Barometer, promoted by APAH, which analyzed and characterized the number of inappropriate hospitalizations, as of May 5, associated with infected patients, but who do not have health reasons that justify their stay at the hospital.
With the participation of 32 institutions from all over the country, 810 patients hospitalized with covid-19 were reported, of which 147 were inappropriately hospitalized.
A total of 2,069 beds reserved for covid-19 patients have been reported, representing an occupancy rate of around 39% nationwide, according to the study.
Of the total of 810 hospitalizations, 147 were patients who did not need to be hospitalized for health reasons, representing about 18% of the total hospitalized.
According to the barometer, the total number of days of social hospitalization was 2,419, with the average hospitalization delay being inappropriate 16.5 days.
The majority of patients (56%) are women and 55% are 80 years old or more, 22% between 70 and 79 years old and 9% between 60 and 69 years old.
The vast majority (73%) of reported cases are in the northern region, followed by the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region (15). Eight percent of cases are in the Center region, 2% in the Alentejo, 1% in the Algarve and the Azores.
Speaking to Lusa agency, APAH president Alexandre Lourenço explained that the first reason for hospitalization of these patients was covid-19, but now they no longer need hospital care.
“From the analyzed universe, we found that close to 20% of patients remained inappropriately hospitalized awaiting extra-hospital responses,” said Alexandre Lourenço.
The data indicate that the inability of a family member or caregiver to respond in a period of covid-19 represents the main cause of social hospitalizations (29%), followed by the inability of the elderly home to guarantee the necessary isolation conditions (23% ).
There is still 21% waiting for the negative test for infection with the new SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus for admission to the National Integrated Continuing Care Network (RNCCI).
“What seems to us relevant here for the future, and even for the development of strategies for covid-19 will be important, is to find dedicated solutions for these covid-19 patients, avoiding their stay inside hospitals, since they are subject to the same problems as other patients ”, defended Alexandre Lourenço.
In practice, he added, “if we have more pressure on the health system, these patients end up occupying beds that should be used by other covid-19 patients who really needed to be hospitalized”.
According to the president of APAH, the recommendation is that strategies should be developed to find establishments, whether homes for the elderly or the Continuing Care Network dedicated to this type of patients who do not need hospital care despite the source of the hospitalization being the infection. by SARS-CoV-2.
“The phenomenon of social admissions has been reflecting a high impact not only in prolonging the occupation of beds in a hospital environment, but also in the increase in waiting times for scheduled hospitalizations and, consequently, in the respective degradation of health care provided to the population. “, says the barometer with the participation of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine and the consultancy EY.
(News updated at 07:44)
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