Quebec pilot project will bring hospital care to patients at homes
CBC
Quebec will begin rolling out home hospitalization care in several parts of the province in the next few months as part of a pilot project, the government announced on Monday.
The move will allow patients to be able to recover in the comfort of their own homes, while being seen virtually by a medical team, according to the office of Sonia Bélanger, the minister responsible for seniors.
"This approach allows users to keep their independence while avoiding the possible negative consequences of hospitalization," Bélanger said, adding that seniors are particularly at risk with long-term hospital stays.
Patients will also be able to contact a nurse by phone around the clock every day of the week and will have the same access to consultation and exam services offered at the hospital. Patients' participation in the pilot project will be on a voluntary basis.
Eight health territories should be able to offer this service to patients by 2024, said Bélanger.
This first phase of the project will see three territories in Montreal implement home care with others in Quebec City, Laval, Monteregie, Lanaudiere and the Laurentians.
However, the ultimate goal is to implement home hospital care in all 34 of the province's health establishments and centres.
Quebec could expect to free up about five per cent of hospital bed capacity, Bélanger said, pointing to the experience of Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, which carried out its own virtual care pilot project in recent years.
Dr. Vincent Oliva, the president of the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists (FMSQ), said the changes would not only save Quebec money but also result in shorter treatment time for patients and more favourable health outcomes.
"When we go to the hospital, we are not at home. We are less comfortable. We can catch secondary infections," said Oliva.
Quebec should take advantage of its advanced technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence to monitor blood pressure and blood sugar at a distance, he said.
"It's important to understand that it's not just for patients who have undergone surgery. It is also for patients who have somewhat unstable medical conditions, for example, heart failure, kidney failure, diabetes or [patients] who need adjustments to their medication."
Health establishments will be able to develop their own unique approaches, he said, with the virtual-care patients receive depending on their needs as well as the type of care the establishment provides.
The Institut de la pertinence des actes médicaux — an independent institute that seeks to find savings and reinvest them into Quebec's medical system — will provide some funding for the project with $40 million by 2026.
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