Rockhampton Hospital is treating suitable patients in the comfort of their own homes, freeing up hospital beds for the acutely unwell.
Hospital in the Home (HITH) is just as the name implies, with suitable hospital services provided in a patient’s home.
Vann Breingan is just one of the grateful patients to use this valuable service. The 11-year-old was unwell with a bone infection in his hips, requiring regular care of his PICC line (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) delivering intravenous antibiotics, dressings care, and blood tests.
Vann’s mum Katie was thankful for the HITH nurses who visited him at school and home on the Capricorn Coast every day, rather than an extended stay in hospital.
“We were able to keep working and Vann was able to keep on with his schoolwork and life as normal, while having the reassurance that everything is going well by seeing someone every day,” she said.
Vann is now on the mend and has returned to the football field with his rugby league and union mates.
Rockhampton area’s Hospital in the Home service can care for 20 patients at a time and has treated more than 7000 people since it started in 2009.
Nurse Unit Manager Louise Kime says the most common service provided at home is intravenous antibiotics, used to treat such things as pneumonia, cellulitis, chest infections or urinary tract infections.
A team of nurses, doctors and allied health professionals can treat suitable patients around Rockhampton, including Mt Morgan, Capricorn Coast, Raglan and Yaamba.
“Our team can do 24-hour infusions, or oxygen monitoring, visiting patients once a day, and we also do remote monitoring for suitable patients, where we provide monitoring equipment and touch base every day,” she said.
The service cares for all ages, from children through to seniors.
“We have visited people’s homes, as well as caravans and even a houseboat at Rosslyn Bay. If the person is staying somewhere safe, we can visit.”
Ms Kime says the service is valuable to the hospital because it frees up beds, but even more so, it is extremely valuable to patients who are very grateful for its many benefits.
“Who wants to be in hospital? It is quieter at home, they get to sleep in their own bed, eat their own food when they wish, they’re closer to family, pets, and children.
“Also, the longer a patient stays in hospital there is more chance of getting a hospital-acquired infection because they are with other unwell people. They are also more likely to maintain their level of function by avoiding long periods of lying in a hospital bed.”
A nurse is available on-call 24 hours a day if there are any issues.
“Staff really enjoy getting out in the fresh air, especially when it’s not raining. They also form better clinical relationships with their patients and seeing them at home means they can assist them by linking with other services in the community to ensure they have the equipment and support needed to stay at home.”
Patients can be referred by General Practitioners without the patient even needing to go to hospital, or by hospital doctors who can discharge them home early.