In collaboration with Sabar Medicine
Contrary to popular belief, home hospitalization is not a privilege only for those with means.
The health funds currently offer the insured, hospitalization in the comfort of their homes in all parts of the country, which includes multi-professional medical care equivalent to that provided in hospitals, fully funded by the fund.
Dr. Itamar Ofer, president and chairman of Zabar Medicine,
which provides home hospitalization services to the insured of all health insurance funds, notes that "Today, Zabar Medicine teams treat approximately 2,200 patients with a variety of medical conditions all over the country. This is a complete alternative to institutional hospitalization. Instead of the patient being hospitalized to a medical facility and stay there to receive the treatment, the treatment comes to him, without him having to leave the house."
"A quarter of the people over the age of seventy who are admitted to hospitals develop confusion and disorientation," emphasizes Dr. Ofer, an expert in pediatrics and medical administration.
22% of patients hospitalized in an internal department in Israel return within a month for another hospitalization." In addition to this, patients hospitalized in a hospital are also exposed to various infections.
A study carried out in the USA by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York showed, among other things, that among patients who were hospitalized at home there was a lower rate of readmissions to hospitals, lower rates of visits to the emergency room and fewer transfers to nursing facilities.
Dr. Ofer emphasizes that the essence of hospitalization is not the mere stay in the hospital building, but the round-the-clock medical responsibility. If it is possible to provide the treatment with medical responsibility and full availability in the patient's home as well, many prefer it. "Another significant advantage of hospitalization at home is The fact that in a hospital at home there is no waiting.
Zabar Medicine's team makes the first visit to the patient's home within 24 hours from the moment of admission to the service, and in some cases even within 3-4 hours depending on the situation."
For the most part, the referral for hospitalization at home is made by the attending physician in the community, and today even the emergency rooms in hospitals are more and more aware of this and often offer this to patients and their families, who receive the service funded by the health insurance funds.
The request for home hospitalization can also come from the patient and his family.
In any case, an assessment is made regarding the patient's suitability for home hospitalization according to clinical criteria.
After the referral, and within up to 24 hours of admission to the service at Sabar Medicine, the first visit is made to the patient's home, and after a medical evaluation by the staff, a personal treatment plan is created for each patient, adapted to his choices and his lifestyle and family life.
Home hospitalization is suitable for a wide variety of medical conditions, starting with acute infections, and ending with incurable diseases in advanced stages.
One of the departments at Sabar Medicine that has seen significant growth since the outbreak of the Corona epidemic is
the in-house hospitalization department
, which is a complete and high-quality substitute for hospitalization in an internal hospital ward, notes
Gadi Levy, the vice president and chairman of Zabar Medicine.
This is about providing acute care at home, to patients who need hospitalization due to infectious diseases such as lung infections, urinary tract infections, skin infections, acute dehydration, aggravation of insufficiency diseases, etc. The service includes a daily home visit by a doctor and a daily home visit (or more as needed) by a nurse, for the purpose of providing drug infusions, medical evaluation, relief about pain, etc. The staff is available by phone to patients 24/7 and most hospitalization in an internal ward at home, similar to hospitalization in an internal ward in a hospital, lasts several days.
Dr. Karina Glick, an expert in internal medicine and emergency medicine, and director of the internal hospitalization department at Zabar Medical Center,
states that "the accumulated experience of the past few years, and a systematic review of hospitalized patients' files, shows that acute hospitalization at home is a real alternative to hospitalization in an internal ward at the hospital for patients diagnosed according to the best The clinical assessment is that there is no immediate danger to their lives."
About three years ago, Zabar Medicine opened the
in-house psychiatric hospitalization department
, which provides a comprehensive and intensive response to those struggling with mental illness.
The service of the psychiatric department is intended at this stage
for United and National insureds.
"For the mentally ill and their families, who have been dealing with complex challenges and a lack of a stable routine for years," explains
Dr. Marina Arbitman, director of the psychiatric hospitalization department at Zabar Medical Center, "
hospitalization at home is an essential solution, which includes assistance in building tools to manage a balanced lifestyle for all of my children the house
The goal in such cases is to prevent hospitalization in out-of-home settings, to shorten the hospitalization period and to prevent repeated hospitalizations.
The service is provided by a permanent team that includes psychiatrists, mental health nurses and mental health social workers, who provide a close multi-professional therapeutic envelope, with the aim of balancing the patient's condition and giving him and his family tools to build a balanced and stable lifestyle.
"It was very important to us, especially in light of the plight of hospitalization in mental health institutions in Israel, to develop this service," emphasizes
Dr. Arbitman,
"among those with mental health problems, the phenomenon of repeated hospitalizations is particularly common, unfortunately, due to the difficulty in balancing the disease over time, and each such hospitalization shakes anew the world of the patient and his family members.
By keeping the patient within the community, while integrating him into various leisure and employment settings, it is possible to facilitate the return to balance and the building of a relaxed lifestyle."
In Israel, the home hospice service is designed not only for patients dealing with cancer, but also for dealing with any other incurable disease, such as Alzheimer's, ALS, heart failure diseases, and more.
The oldest and largest department in Zabar Medicine is
the Home Hospice and Palliative Care Department,
which provides palliative care to patients facing incurable diseases in advanced stages.
The service includes a permanent team of doctor, nurse and social worker, who accompany the patient and his family for the entire period of hospitalization at home, and provide a medical, nursing, social and emotional response, which also includes support for the family and preparation for the future.
Photo: Courtesy of Zabar Medicine,
For patients after a stroke, joint replacement surgery or prolonged hospitalization,
the intensive rehabilitation department at home
provides neurological, orthopedic or standing rehabilitation
to Maccabi, Leumit and United insureds.
The department's staff includes rehabilitation doctors, nurses, attorneys, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and nutritionists, building an intensive rehabilitation program for the patient, which is equivalent to the one provided in rehabilitation institutions, and adapts the program to the patient's natural living environment.
"Rehabilitation at home has many advantages and is recommended by the health insurance funds as a high-quality alternative to institutional hospitalization," explains
Dr. Roni Nof, an expert in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and director of the intensive rehabilitation department at the home in Sabar Medicine.
"The patient returns home after an acute episode or some physical trauma, and within 24 hours we arrive at his home, without the need to wait, build a personal treatment plan for him, and immediately begin rehabilitation.
The fact that he is undergoing rehabilitation in his natural environment, and the family takes an active part in his recovery, contributes greatly to the success of the process."
"In general, the most natural thing for the patients is to stay in their homes, in their beds, with their clothes, eat the food they are used to, and enjoy privacy in the bosom of the family," says Dr. Ofer. .
They don't need to go to the hospital, and they don't need to be on duty at the patient's bedside." "
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," notes Dr. Ofer.
"This situation is not obvious when we see the burdens in the hospitals, and their effects on the medical teams, the patients and the families."
In collaboration with Sabar Medicine