Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare

Biography

Biography: Cristina Gutierrez

Abstract

Background: Professionals of the pediatric palliative care unit (PPCU) work so that the children with serious illnesses can stay and receive assistance wherever they wish. Caring for children with complex needs and/or end of life at home requires specific knowledge and skills of non-professional caregivers and their families. Their training and support is a referring assistance team responsibility. At the hospital level we have many patient safety strategies. However, at home, their motorization can be disrupted.

Aim: To analyze, what factors influence the safety of the patient at home and to establish the demographic-health profile of the patients treated by the PPCU of the Sant Joan de Deu Hospital (HSJD).

Methodology: Descriptive analysis of the characteristics related to patient safety in the children attended at home by the HSJD PPCU during the year 2017. The variables studied were: place of death, support interventions, respiratory/nutritional devices, polypharmacy and drugs considered of risk.

Results: Of the 135 children attended by the PPCU during the year 2017, a sample of 66 patients with home centered care (49%) was recruited. During 2017, 46 children died (34%), of which 43.5% happened at home. The average calls to PPCU were 63 calls/patient and the urgent home attentions accounted for 21% of the total. Of all amounts of these patients, the 72% had respiratory support devices and 71% had enteral feeding devices. In relation to pharmacological therapy follow-up, polypharmacy was present in 80% of children and 81% took some drug with complex administration patterns. At the end of life, parenteral medication was administered in 85% of the cases.

Conclusions: The data show a high dependence on care and risk of complications in children treated at home. It is essential to know the vulnerabilities to develop tools that minimize them and guarantee patient safety.