Home care: good for patients and good for the wallet

Doctors and nurses from two Zurich hospitals are visiting patients at home - a new way of working that could serve as a treatment model for other parts of Switzerland. If patients prefer, medical teams from Zollikerberg Hospital can treat them at home for conditions such as pneumonia, complicated urinary tract infections or heart failure. As in a traditional hospital setting, staff conduct daily rounds, and vital signs like blood pressure and pulse are monitored digitally. This approach has been part of the hospital's "Visit" pilot project for three years. According to Christian Ernst, the project manager at Zollikerberg Hospital, around 200 patients are treated this way annually. "The biggest advantage is that hospital-related problems, such as infection risks or confusion in older patients, are avoided," he explains. This model also saves money. Ernst estimates a 10% reduction per treatment since expenses like 24-hour care and hospital catering are eliminated. Expansion to other ...