Fewer hospitalizations, fewer emergency room visits and fewer outpatient consultations. This is the result of the implementation of the hybrid care pathway for patients with COPD in the seven Santeon hospitals.
Within this care pathway, patients receive information about their condition through the app. They periodically complete questionnaires and receive personalized advice. In case of abnormal signs or complaints, specialized nurses contact them directly. This led to 40 percent fewer admissions to the pulmonary department, 33 percent fewer emergency room visits and 18 percent fewer outpatient visits.
Clear decline
The results achieved so far exceed the expectations of project leader Hans Hardeman, lung specialist at St. Antonius Hospital. "We had expected to make an impact. We had hoped for a marked decrease in admissions, and we already knew that patients were satisfied and felt safer with home monitoring. But that the impact would be so great, I honestly didn't dare hope."
Customized care
Ingrid Wegman, OLVG nursing specialist, is also very happy with the new hybrid care pathway. "Before, e-health was an addition to our care. Now it is the way we deliver care. We see at the outpatient clinic mainly the people who really need it. That makes our work content stronger and more interesting." The app offers patients personalized knowledge cures, tailored to their situation. Wegman: "We want to offer every COPD patient the right care at the right time. For example, if you indicate that you smoke, you will receive information about quitting smoking. If you don't exercise much, then you'll receive a course of information about exercise for COPD. That is truly tailored care."
Eighteen hybrid care pathways
Patients with COPD have been able to receive hybrid care through Care at Yours since March 2023. By now, 3,818 patients in all seven Santeon hospitals are receiving this form of care. Other hospitals are also showing interest in this care pathway; talks are underway to implement it more broadly. This does not only apply to the COPD care pathway. Eighteen hybrid care paths are currently live.
