Emergency Department Models of Care 2012 - NSW Health

Benefits of the modelEvidence shows that both people and the health system benefit from access to acute care inalternate settings to inpatient care (Leff et al, 2005). These benefits include improvedoutcomes in clinical markers such as reduced levels of confusion and delirium in people whoare cared for at home (Leff et al, 2005), and high levels of acceptance of these models byGeneral Practice (Lemelin, 2007) with no increase in carer burden (Leff et al, 2008).Using alternative models, when appropriate, enables health teams and hospital beds to bemanaged more efficiently (Deloitte, 2011) and effectively (Leff et al, 2005; Caplan, 2006; DLAPhillip Fox, 2010).Patients and Carers Hospital GP / Other serviceprovidersAble to recover in thecomfort of own homeMore efficient use ofhospital beds for acutely illpatientsImproved, coordinatedinteraction with aspecialised hospital serviceReduced risk of adverseevents from hospitaladmission e.g. falls,infectionsImproved EAP Appropriate care forpatients in the comfort oftheir own homeIndividualised carePatients and carers reporthigh satisfaction withserviceReduced length of stay inhospital.Reduced adverse eventsfrom hospital admissionIncreased staff satisfactionGPs manage patients intheir own environmentBetter valueOpportunity to leverageActivity-Based FundingChallenges ■ Early identification of avoidable admissions/patients suited to the care model■■Out-of-hours referrals.Building capacity in local HITH services.PAGE 54 NSW HEALTH Models of Emergency Care