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New study: How the shortage of care in patient endangers

2019-09-30T10:26:20.852Z


More and more elderly and sick people should be cared for at home - but in outpatient care, there is a shortage of skilled workers. This is not only a burden for the relatives, but also a danger to patients.



The lack of nurses in Germany is increasingly becoming a security risk for patients cared for at home. According to a new study, a majority of outpatient care services can not fill vacancies for an extended period of time. "This creates a higher risk that the care of those in need of care will deteriorate and new patients will no longer find care services," says Ralf Suhr, CEO of the Center for Quality in Nursing (ZQP).

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In a nationwide study, the ZQP found that 53 percent of nursing services surveyed have not been able to fill vacancies for nurses for at least three months. About 16,000 jobs are therefore vacant in outpatient care.

Especially in the outpatient care, the lack of staff is observed. This is a "high-risk area," says nursing expert Suhr. "There are often barriers in the home of patients that make optimal care difficult." For example, not every apartment is remodeled with care. In addition, misunderstandings and mishaps would quickly arise, as carers and relatives often alternate in the care of those in need of care. This risk is exacerbated when the staff in the outpatient service are often exchanged.

  • ( "The enemy on my bed" : Read here how home care services plunder the health insurance and exploit the plight of families.)

Many people are affected by the problems. In Germany, a quarter of all nursing patients are cared for at home with the participation of a nursing service - in 2017, according to analysis by the ZQP, a total of 830,000 people were cared for. And rising life expectancy means that people tend to depend on care for a longer period of time.

In the past three months alone, according to the study, 80 percent of foster care companies refused to care for new patients. The reason they stated that they could not have ensured the care. For this reason, 13 percent of the 535 outpatient nursing services surveyed even quit existing patients.

For the relatives of the rejected patients, this can have serious consequences. They are often at risk of overloading if they are left alone with the care. "Care is a challenging task," says Suhr. "This stress can lead to health problems for caring relatives." In extreme cases, this could even be discharged into violence against the needy.

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Single persons in need of care especially meet the lack of care. More and more often, they no longer find care services to look after them, and at the same time they lacked relatives who could support them. They lived partly alone at home with major health problems, reports Suhr.

Nursing careers should become more attractive

Nursing professions would have to become more attractive, therefore the ZQP expert demands of the ZQP. He advocates better pay for the nurses and better working conditions, such as the compatibility of work and family for nurses. In addition, the opportunities of digitization also need to be seized in nursing: "It is urgent to introduce time-saving and safety-promoting digital documentation systems." Because often the nursing documentation is still handwritten, according to the expert.

Politicians have recognized the problem. Only last week, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) introduced a bill for better pay for nurses, which is to be achieved through a collective agreement with the nursing services.

Even with Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), the fight against the care crisis is high on the agenda. He also announced the digitization of the industry. However, he did not obey details about the concrete design.

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2019-09-30

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