RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Hospital admission rates and the primary health care team
JF The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
JO J R Coll Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP 420
OP 426
VO 26
IS 167
A1 Max R. Polliack
A1 Nello Shavitt
YR 1976
UL http://bjgp.org/content/26/167/420.abstract
AB The use of hospital beds was studied for a period of one year in a practice under the care of a closely co-ordinated team composed of the family physician, the family nurse, and a medical social worker. Admission rates and mean duration of stay in hospital are analysed and discussed in relation to selected socio-demographic variables. The results showed that the study population used only half as many hospital beds when compared with national rates in Israel. We consider that this was achieved by the provision of planned co-ordinated comprehensive medical nursing and social services for patients suffering from long-term illness. Such a team is able to provide a high quality medical care and can significanlty reduce the use of in-patient hospital services.