[Hospital at home: an opportunity for change]

The purpose of this paper is to describe the hospital at home (HaH). The HaH is proposed as a tool of the hospital organization to provide a response to the increasing health care demands. It consists of providing hospital range clinical attention at the patient's home instead of institutional care. Patients depend on the hospital, and their health care professionals constitute the staff that provide care. The characteristics of the HaH are: willingness of the patient, a care provider at home, the task to be carried out must be hospital-based, and can be performed at the patient's home. The development of the HaH requires a prolonged clinical leadership as well as good relationship with the referring clinicians. The evaluation must be carried out as part of a continuum of services of the health system. Both clinical effects and repercussions on the hospital organization must be taken into account. The HaH can provide training and knowledge to physicians about real life patients as well as the opportunity to work alongside a multidisciplinary team. The research must always include a rigorous methodology.