Value‐based care of older people—The impact of an acute outreach service unit on emergency medical service missions: A quasi‐experimental study

Background Transfers to the emergency department can be burdensome for the residents of long‐term residential care facilities (LTRCFs) and often lead to adverse effects. Since March 2019, a nurse‐led acute outreach service unit “Mobile hospital” (in Finnish, Liikkuva sairaala, LiiSa) has been provid...

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Published in:Scandinavian journal of caring sciences 2024-03, Vol.38 (1), p.169-176
Main Authors: Mäki, Lauri J., Kontunen, Perttu J., Kaartinen, Johanna M., Castrén, Maaret K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Elder care
Emergency medical care
emergency medical services
Emergency services
Frail
health services for the aged
mobile health units
Nurse led care
nursing homes
Older people
Outreach programs
Outreach services
Patients
Residential care
Side effects
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Summary:Background Transfers to the emergency department can be burdensome for the residents of long‐term residential care facilities (LTRCFs) and often lead to adverse effects. Since March 2019, a nurse‐led acute outreach service unit “Mobile hospital” (in Finnish, Liikkuva sairaala, LiiSa) has been providing on‐site care to LTRCF residents to reduce transfers to the emergency department. Methods This study compares the numbers and acuities of emergency medical service (EMS) missions carried out in the LTRCFs of Espoo and Kauniainen during two six‐month periods: before the implementation of LiiSa and with LiiSa in use. In Finland, EMS missions are divided into four categories (A–D), with category A missions being the most urgent. These categories were used to investigate the impact on mission acuities. Results Due to the implementation of LiiSa, the number of EMS missions decreased by 16.8% (95% confidence interval 10.6%–22.6%, p 
ISSN:0283-9318
1471-6712
DOI:10.1111/scs.13220