Home hospitalization

Home Hospital is a worldwide phenomenon that provides acute and subacute medical care in the home in an attempt to reduce the need for hospitalization.

To evaluate the clinical parameters of a home hospitalization program operating in Jerusalem for 8 years.

The Jerusalem Home Hospitalization (HH) program admits inpatients for early discharge from the hospital or accepts patients from the community when hospitalization is imminent. A clinical profile of HH was obtained from a chart review.

Demographic data, diagnoses, duration of HH and the nature of the care required by patients at the end of HH were surveyed in 1995.

From November 1991 until the end of 1999, 6297 patients over age 65 were admitted to HH. As reflected in 1995 data, the most common disease categories in HH were heart disease, malignancy and infection; 51% of HH lasted less than one month, 69% less than two.

For 8 years, HH in Jerusalem has provided intensive home care with high levels of patient and family satisfaction.