Is the future of healthcare at home?
As medical marvels and advancements in health care continue, people are living longer. As such, Samson Assuta University Hospital has begun an innovative leap toward home hospitalization.
The pioneering initiative to release patients to home care in the comfort of their personal environments aligns with patients' preferences and capitalizes on the technological advancements that have transformed healthcare delivery.
While home care is not new, Assuta is working on developing cutting-edge practices for making the solution even more effective.
"In the Ashdod area, we have a population of about 250,000 people, not including the surrounding areas, which add another 250,000. Right now, there are only 300 beds in the hospital," Dr. Gil Levy, Director of the Department of Medical Innovation at Assuta Ashdod, stated. "The idea is to extend the hospital's capabilities to patients outside the hospital. From there, we started thinking about how to care for them in their homes.
"This physically improves the hospital's capability to treat not only the 300 people in beds here but even more so, we can treat as many as 700 patients at the same time."
This initiative can help address the growing demands on healthcare resources and facilities, allowing medical professionals to focus on more urgent matters.
"There's a lot of scenarios where patients are in the hospital because we think they need the direct supervision. However, if we can provide the necessary supervision at home, then they may be more comfortable in their familiar surroundings and with their families.”
Dr. Levy also points out it is important not to replace the traditional doctor-patient relationship entirely with technology.
"I don't want to replace the traditional connection,” he says.
“The patient will be able to communicate with me, whether it's going to be via videoconferencing or a different method.
“The doctors will still have full responsibility for the patients’ treatment,” he continues. “The patients will regularly communicate with their caregivers, so we will know how they are feeling.”
He adds that all concerns will be addressed immediately through whatever means of communication is most appropriate for the patient.