Zabar Medicine (Photo: Zabar Medicine)
You've probably already heard quite a bit of the term "hospitalization at home" in recent years, and thought - surely there isn't one in Israel.
Or maybe there is but it's only privately, only for the rich.
Or it is not suitable for "light" diseases such as pneumonia or urinary tract infections.
So it is, that home hospitalization has existed for over 15 years in Israel, financed by the health insurance funds, and yes, also for infections that require hospitalization.
Home hospitalization - very important to know!
What is home hospitalization funded by the health insurance funds?
This is a service in which a multi-professional team of doctors, nurses, attorneys and the health professions come to the patient's home and take full medical responsibility for him for the entire treatment period, as a complete alternative to hospital admission. The team is available to the patient and his family 24/7 all year round, and provides the patient with all The necessary medical, nursing and social care, including drug infusions, prescriptions, monitoring tests, etc. The service is provided all over the country, funded by all health insurance funds, and supervised by the Ministry of Health, and is equal in quality to that provided in hospitals.
"Home hospitalization in Israel is provided with funding from all health insurance funds, And this is a right defined by law for every citizen in the country, without the need for private or supplementary insurances," explains
Dr. Itamar Ofer, president and chairman of Sabar Medicine
which operates an in-home hospitalization system for the health funds for about two decades, all over the country.
"To find out about this option, you can contact the attending physician in the community or the department in the hospital where the patient is hospitalized."
Dr. Itamar Ofer President and Chairman of Zabar Medicine (Photo: Zabar Medicine)
What are the advantages of home hospitalization over hospitalization?
"The patients actually stay in their natural environment, surrounded by their family members, without fear of contracting infections and without family members running around," emphasizes Dr. Ofer, who has been at the head of Sabar Medicine for about five years. "When it is medically possible, patients can and should stay at home for care and responsibility A multi-professional team - and the house is the right and most convenient place for them.
Home hospitalization is a solution for many patients.
" "Another significant advantage of home hospitalization," adds
Dr. Roni Zabar, the founder and medical director of Zabar Medicine
, which treats more than 2,200 patients at home at any given moment, is that home hospitalization has no wait.
Zabar Medicine's team makes the first visit to the patient's home within up to 24 hours from the moment of admission to the service, and in some cases even within 3-4 hours.
To our great joy,
in Israel the service is provided to the insured of all funds with full funding,
"
About 80% of patients who need medical treatment would prefer to stay at home," emphasizes Dr. Zabar, an expert in family medicine and palliative medicine.
"At home, the patient is surrounded by his family members, objects, familiar food and smells. When the patient is at home, the family is also calmer, and their daily routine can continue to exist at the same time as treating the patient. This situation is not obvious when we see the burdens in hospitals and their effects on medical teams, about the patients and the families."
Zabar Medicine (Photo: Zabar Medicine)
For which medical conditions is home hospitalization suitable?
"As in any hospital," explains Dr. Roni Zabar, who recently published his book '
Between recovery and healing - a journey in palliative care
'.
The first and oldest of them is
the home hospice and palliative care department
.
A team of doctors, nurses and social workers care for patients dealing with incurable diseases in advanced stages, such as cancer, dementia, ALS and more, and focus on preventing suffering and pain, and improving the quality and comfort of life for the patients and their families."
About six years ago,
an inpatient department was established in Zabar Medicine
At home as a full alternative to hospitalization in an internal department in a hospital.
"These are patients who have had an infection such as pneumonia, urinary or skin infections, or patients with chronic diseases who need balance, intravenous drug infusion, etc.," explains Dr. Ofer. "Treatment begins within 3-4 hours of admission to the service.
A team of doctors and nurses comes to their home every day and provides them with all the necessary care until they recover."
Dr. Roni Tzbar, founder and medical director, Tzbar Medicine - a home hospital (Photo: Tzbar Medicine)
"Another large
department is the intensive rehabilitation department in the house
," adds Dr. Ofer, an expert in pediatrics and medical administration. Neurological rehabilitation treatments, immediately after a stroke, orthopedic rehabilitation, after a femoral neck fracture or hip joint replacement or long hospitalization, and all this instead of hospitalization in rehabilitation institutions."
"Another
department, the home hospitalization department for heart failure patients
, provides a medical and multi-professional envelope for patients combined with the use of technological monitoring means, and with the constant and close accompaniment of a professional team. This is an effective solution for these patients, who have difficulty achieving long-term balance and are often forced to run between clinics and hospitals without You were able to manage a regular daily routine and above all - you are hospitalized again and again due to going out of balance."
"Due to the severe hospitalization crisis in mental health institutions in Israel, it was important for us to provide an answer at home for this population as well. That is why, after about three years, we opened the in-
house psychiatric hospitalization department at
Zabar Medicine , in cooperation with the National and United Health Insurance Fund," says Dr. Zabar.
"In the in-house psychiatry department, we provide mental health candidates with an intensive professional environment at home as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization, while supporting and assisting the patient and his family," says
Gadi Levy, vice president of Sabar Medicine
.
"The service is provided by a multi-professional team of psychiatrists, nurses and social workers, who have experience and training in the field of mental health. For this group, the meaning of a familiar environment, a normal life routine and a return to functioning in the home setting are particularly important."
"This is a truly groundbreaking service, providing for the first time psychiatric hospitalization at home, with a significant and close-knit staff of a psychiatrist, a nurse and a social worker. This service is designed to prevent repeated hospitalizations in institutions and to balance the patients, at home, so that they and their families can live a more comfortable and balanced lifestyle."
Levi explains.
"There is no doubt," emphasizes Dr. Zabar, "that the world of home hospitalization has already proven to be a quality model for treating a wide range of medical conditions.
The data we have indicates a very high level of satisfaction of the patients and their families.
The trend of home hospitalization is expanding in Israel and the world, as a healthier and safer solution for the patients, and more efficient and economical for the health systems."
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