Hospitalization at home

Abstract

Resource availability, and particularly bed availability in the Regional Hospital of Temuco, are analyzed. Given the current situation, the creation of a system of hospitalization in the patients’ homes, with daily care provided by an itinerant multiprofessional team, is proposed. The scheme is given the name of “virtual hospital”. The proposal is an extension of the succesfully applied concept of the Home Care Unit which exists in the same Hospital since 1994. The requirements are indicated. The cost per day would be slightly more than half that which is paid by the Ministry for a day of inpatient care.