Importance of Preventing Hospital Admissions
Unnecessary hospital admissions refer to instances where individuals are admitted to hospitals for care that could have been effectively managed or prevented in alternative settings, such as primary care or community care. They occur for various reasons, often stemming from systemic issues within healthcare systems and care coordination. Limited access to primary and community care services often results in a lack of preventative care due to wait times or a shortage of care providers. Moreover, inadequate coordination between healthcare teams leads to delays in accessing appropriate care and gaps in follow-up care, increasing the likelihood of preventable admissions.
Avoidable admissions are distressing and, in many cases, worsen quality of life. They have a significant psychological impact on individuals, leading to feelings of fear, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Being admitted to the hospital means being away from the familiarity and comfort of one’s home, an environment that would be more conducive to their well-being and sense of self. The loss of autonomy, especially for individuals who value their independence, contributes to feelings of frustration or helplessness.
Care should be centred around the individual, with their needs, safety and preferences holding precedence. While people may receive the clinical care they need, their social, emotional, spiritual and psychological needs remain unmet. Everyone deserves to have choice and control about the type of care they receive, co-producing with healthcare teams to reach a solution that truly benefits them.
Common Risks of Preventable Hospital Admissions and Re-admissions
There are several common risks linked to preventable hospital admissions and re-admissions. Identifying and understanding these risks is important to protect community health and support people in acquiring the care they need and deserve.
Medication Mismanagement
Medication mismanagement is a significant concern in healthcare, often leading to avoidable complications and hospital admissions. It refers to errors or issues related to the administration, monitoring, or adherence to medications, leading to adverse health outcomes. The causes of medication mismanagement are diverse. In some cases, clinicians may accidentally lose paperwork. In other cases, people may underestimate the importance of adhering to medication guidelines, including taking too much, too little, or at the wrong times.
Lack of Primary Care
Primary care providers serve as the first point of contact and play a vital role in preventive care, health management, and early intervention. The lack of primary care refers to insufficient access to essential healthcare services, such as general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacies.
Many individuals face barriers to accessing primary care due to long wait times, limited availability of providers, and geographic maldistribution of services, especially in underserved areas. Without access to primary care, individuals face challenges in obtaining timely support and managing their health conditions, causing adverse outcomes.
Falls and Injuries
Falls and injuries are significant concerns, particularly among older adults, and can often lead to emergency admissions that could have been preventable. While not every fall is avoidable, preventive strategies should be in place to minimise the likelihood of occurrence. Primary care specialists, such as GPs, can assess mobility concerns or potential challenges with balance and strength. If concerns are fraught, risk assessments should be conducted by occupational therapists to ensure that housing is appropriate, assessing accessibility and the need for assistive devices.
Mental Health Crisis
A mental health crisis refers to severe emotional distress, with people feeling like they are unable to cope with or control the situation. In such distress, individuals may be at risk of harming themselves or others, experiencing extreme anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts.
Community-based crisis intervention teams comprised of mental health professionals and social workers can provide rapid response and support. These teams offer crisis assessment, counselling, and intervention services in community settings, aiming to stabilise mental health and prevent the need for hospitalisation. However, due to long waiting times and limited access to primary care services, community-based interventions aren’t always feasible, resulting in emergency admissions that could have been avoided with preventive care.
The Role of Proper Care in Preventing Hospitalisation
Timely care facilities early detection and intervention, preventing health concerns from escalating. Routine check-ups, community care services, and support measures enable healthcare professionals to identify risk factors and intervene proactively, averting potential health crises and reducing hospital admissions. In order to be effective, health and social care providers must co-produce care plans with individuals, build positive relationships, and ensure that support is tailored to people’s unique needs and preferences. When the local community benefits from proper care, rates of unnecessary hospital admission decrease and health outcomes are improved.
Strategies for Reducing Preventable Hospital Admissions
Reducing preventable hospital admissions requires a multifaceted approach that addresses various aspects of health care. One key strategy is to improve primary care services and promote proactive management of conditions, mental-ill health and complex care needs. Through regular monitoring, medication management, and access to timely appointments, people can maintain their well-being and improve their health outcomes.
Enhancing community-based care also plays a significant role in reducing emergency admissions. Receiving structured support in the comfort of one’s own home can have a transformative effect on individuals, empowering them to take control of their own care. Whether it’s through the provision of medical assistance, emotional support, or practical help with day-to-day tasks, dedicated support instils a sense of independence and confidence. Through this, individuals can experience an improved sense of well-being, leading to a better quality of life and fewer emergency admissions.
Below, we discuss additional strategies to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
Crisis Management and Rapid Response Care
Crisis management and rapid response care are extremely effective in preventing emergency admissions. These services provide immediate at-home support and intervention to people experiencing an urgent health crisis, including a mental health crisis. Rapid response teams comprise a range of healthcare professionals, from nurses to social workers, who are expertly trained in de-escalating crises and providing specialised care. They are designed to be fast-acting, offering support when people need it most, thereby reducing the need for emergency admissions.
Personalised Care Plans
Personalised care plans are tailored approaches that take into account an individual’s unique needs, preferences, and circumstances. These plans are developed collaboratively between supported individuals and their health care providers, giving people control and choice over their healthcare. They consist of proactive interventions and supportive strategies designed to enhance well-being. By prioritising collaboration, individuals are inclined to adhere to their care plans, thus reducing avoidable readmissions. Additionally, personalised care plans recognise people’s strengths and preferences, ensuring that care remains humanised and focused on empowerment.
Holistic Approach to Care
A holistic approach to care recognises that health and well-being are influenced by multiple interconnected factors, including physical, psychological, social, spiritual and environmental. Unlike traditional models of healthcare, which only treat symptoms and focus on perceived deficits, a holistic approach looks at the whole person, understanding that everyone is unique with different challenges, goals and strengths. People are more than their ‘conditions’ and deserve care that humanises their experiences.
Person-Centred Care
Person-centred care puts people at the heart of healthcare, ensuring their needs, values and preferences are met. It facilitates humanised care and a meaningful approach to healthcare delivery, recognising the uniqueness of each individual. Under this framework, healthcare should be a collaborative process between supported individuals, their families and healthcare providers. When people are respected and seen as experts in their own lives, they feel empowered, and their health outcomes improve. Combined with a holistic approach to care, it is an incredibly impactful strategy in promoting humanised support and reducing hospital admission.
Unique Community Services is Dedicated to Preventing Avoidable Hospital Admissions
Unique Community Services provides proactive, nurse-led support to people with complex care needs. We utilise a strengths-based approach and Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) to provide humanised care tailored to people’s unique needs.
Unnecessary emergency admissions often lead to adverse outcomes and do not honour each person’s individuality. We believe that people deserve humanised and person-centred care delivered in the comfort of their own homes, and our clinicians act as dedicated advocates, helping people transform their lives for the better.
With offices in Manchester, Leeds and Bristol, our services are available across the whole UK.
For more information on how our services can benefit you, contact Unique Community Services today.
