Cross-sectional Hospital at Home Unit Service

Deep changes in acute hospital models of care have characterized recent years.  A more patient-centered orientation, a digital transformation of care and an increase in clinical complexity while a greater ambulatory care. All this has led to a progressive reorganization of hospital units to make them more open and integrated with other care providers.

Hospital at Home (HaH) is a hospital resource that offers to patients the alternative of receiving treatment and hospital care at home, under conditions comparable to those provided by conventional hospitalization. HaH has proven to be a real alternative to conventional hospitalization, being very satisfactory for both the patient and their family environment, provided it meets quality standards that have recently been reviewed and defined by the Catalan Health System. HaH differs from other home health care services in that it meets the criterion of the need for admission or hospital treatment for a condition that otherwise would require hospitalization.

The Clínic Barcelona Cross-sectional HaH Unit depends directly of the Medical and Nursing Directions. Formed by a multidisciplinary team, HaH is available to all the Institutes and Areas of the Hospital as well as to the other centers in its area of influence from the districts of Barcelona “Esquerra” (over 500,000 inhabitants). HaH unit works for comprehensive patient care, to help patients to recover as well as possible with the provision of medical services and hospital nursing in the patient's own home. Its activity has been growing in recent years, being especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2021, the Clínic Barcelona HaH treated more than 1,500 patients, with a high degree of satisfaction of patients and professionals.

In January 2021, with the integration of Plató Hospital as a new seat of the Hospital Clínic, the healthcare that offers has been expanded. On the other hand, our Hospital at Home unit in Mental Health has grown, starting in June 2021 the care for adolescent patients (HaH of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, which depends on the Psychiatry service), with the possibility of attending up to 11 adult and/or adolescent patients.

Nowadays, Hospital at home is a real care alternative to patients with medical or surgical illnesses that requires hospital admission. Patients can access the HaH unit from the Emergency Department or from the different Hospitalization rooms, and -in selected cases- they can enter directly from their own home without going through the hospital.