Lack of communication in healthcare creates insecurity among the elderly
Over 35,000 people, aged 65 and over, have been able to describe their experiences of healthcare contacts through the follow-up tool Webbkollen. A third of those questioned say they have not been involved in their own care planning, something they have a statutory right to do. Lack of communication creates unnecessary anxiety among the elderly, which ultimately results in unnecessary costs for healthcare.
The information has emerged through results in the follow-up tool Webbkollen, where over 35,000 people, aged 65 and over, have been called to describe their experiences of care and social care contacts. The tool is used as support to follow up in a structured way to what extent the elderly who are ill feel safe at home after discharge from the hospital.
A third of the elderly who are ill and have recently been discharged from hospital experience:
- That they were given no written information to take home
- That they do not know where to turn with questions or other needs
- That they were not involved in planning their own care and care
Insufficient information risks creating anxiety for the individual and unnecessary costs for healthcare. The ignorance among the elderly about where to turn has been shown to risk leading to the consequence that the elderly choose to call for an ambulance in order to finally be re-enrolled.
A single unplanned readmission to hospital, with ambulance transport to emergency department and admission to inpatient care costs on average more than one home care hour per week for an entire year. The cost could also match a visit to the health center every two weeks for a year. The money that goes to waste due to deficiencies in communication could instead be used to create a better life for the elderly.
Re-enrolments often lead to the wrong level of care, which means that the elderly do not receive the care they most need in primary care and municipal care and social care. With the help of relatively simple means, the elderly's anxiety would be reduced, the level of care optimized and unnecessary costs reduced.
For more information:
Contact project manager for www.webbkollen.com
Agneta Brinne, agneta.brinne@quicksearch.se
Information about Webbkollen and cost calculation
The web check is used by health and social care staff to conduct safety-creating conversations with frail elderly people. The conversation can be carried out in hospital, via phone call or during a personal visit. With the help of direct and simple feedback, the results can be quickly used in improvement work and development of quality both in the unit and in the organization.
The source for the cost calculations for primary care visits and home care is SKL's patient register and visit statistics. The cost of an unplanned re-enrolment has been calculated based on the costs for the Gävleborg/Uppsala/Örebro region. Ambulance costs from Region Halland's website.
For some time now, Quicksearch has collaborated with the follow-up tool Webbkollen. With the help of Webbkollen, patients get an opportunity to have their say at the same time as possible areas of improvement in care are highlighted.
