Save the stress of transferring dying patients thanks to guidelines
30.04.2021 12:33
The corona pandemic clearly shows how quickly our personal health situation can change dramatically. The “Avenue-Pal” innovation fund project, which expires at the end of May and in which BIG is directly involved, aims to provide the best possible care for dying people in their final days and weeks. In particular, they should be spared unnecessary relocations. This affects around 150,000 people across Germany every year. At a digital final symposium to which the Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences invites you on May 6, 2021, everyone involved will sum up. Your recommendation has already been made: through appropriate prevention, dying people can be spared the very stressful transfer. The guidelines for hospitals and nursing homes developed in the project should therefore be rolled out nationwide.
In the project “Analysis and improvement of cross-sector and cross-departmental interface and transfer management in palliative care” (Avenue-Pal), a large number of participants developed the guidelines based on 13 risk factors using scientific methodology. These were tested, introduced and, if necessary, improved in a large nursing facility and a university hospital. A technological assistance system supports the implementation in the respective institutions. The newly developed app “Freddy” offers support to caring relatives.
Solutions are needed for all those affected
“The project has shown that those affected, relatives, doctors, nursing staff and, in principle, everyone involved benefit from the guidelines. Now it is important that the project results are actually transferred in order to optimize care processes in the long term,” says Christiane Heidrich, who worked on the project as Managed Care team leader at BIG. From their point of view, contracts for special care (§ 140a SGB V) are only temporary results. “We need solutions that benefit everyone affected and not just those insured by individual payers,” says Christiane Heidrich. One thing is already certain for BIG: the findings will be used in the future, for example in the case management department, and the planned transfer will be supported.
New instruments and procedures developed
Prof. Wolfgang George, head of the TransMIT project area for health services research and responsible for the technical and scientific project coordination, says: “As is so often the case with resistant problems in the German healthcare system, it is less of a knowledge problem, so why do so many dying people come back in without any existing indication? whose last days of life are postponed, as one of insufficient implementation. We are very confident that our instruments and procedures, some of which have been newly developed, enable every hospital and every care facility to realistically achieve humane care for the dying.”
Symposium free of charge
20 speakers will provide information about the project results at the free symposium on May 6, 2021 from 1:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. registration under www.avenue-pal.de/avenue-pal-symposium
background
TransMIT Gesellschaft für Technologietransfer mbH, based in Giessen, took over overall project management. In addition to BIG, the consortium partners include the University Hospital of Gießen and Marburg, the non-profit association for social services of the AWO Stadtkreis Gießen mbH, the German Hospital Institute eV and the Technical University of Central Hesse. In order to ensure the high quality of research and practical transfer, other actors such as the Hessian Association of Cities and Municipalities are also involved as cooperation partners. The project is being funded by the Innovation Fund with almost two million euros for three years.