Singapore hospital finds way to keep patients at home

 16-Jul-16, The Straits Times 

The Accident and Emergency departments are among the busiest parts of a hospital, but Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has managed to cut the A&E visits of frequent hospital-goers by a third.

Image: MIMS

This 32 per cent reduction was achieved through comprehensive post-discharge medical care from the hospital's Virtual Hospital team, which provides medical care and advice via phone or visits patients in their own homes.

A study by the team - from September 2015 to March 2016 - showed that inpatient admissions from those in the programme had fallen by 44 per cent.

The Virtual Hospital targets TTSH patients who have had three or more admissions in a year. Many of these patients have two or more chronic diseases. After a patient is discharged, a member of the six-person team checks in with them on the phone a few days later. Sometimes, they do home visits in a week or two.

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