The continuity of hospital nursing care for Primary Health Care in Spain

Abstract

Objective: To learn the profile and activities carried out by the Hospital Nurse Liaison for the continuity of care in Primary Health Care in Spain. Method: An exploratory study with a qualitative approach developed in five University Hospitals in Madrid and three in Barcelona, with Hospital Nurse Liaisons who work in Hospitals in Madrid (8) and Barcelona (11). An online questionnaire was applied with open and closed questions for data collection. The data were analyzed by the content analysis technique in the thematic modality. Results: Nineteen (19) Hospital Nurse Liaisons participated in the study. The liaisons’ ages ranged from 26 to 64 years old, the majority were women (94.73%) with experience between 21 and 30 years (52.63%), and had worked in this job between 6 months and 26 years. The Nurse Liasion is required to perform a clinical assessment of the patient prior to discharge and to contact the Nurse in the patient’s area of origin by telephone or e-mail. It is necessary to have experience as an educator, to work in a team and have motivation. Conclusion: Nurses in Spain perform care continuity for Primary Health Care, in which their activities encompass the availability of resources and experience in managing the care of complex patients and their families.

Role of Nurses for Continuity of Care After Hospital Discharge

“…It is based on communication technologies and management tools, to ensure continuity of care, both in moments of grace and in adversity. 7,[23][24][25][26] It is possible to assimilate this result referring to the effectiveness of a care system that can fully assist user discharge, with studies related to liaison nurses, or systems created to manage hospital discharge, which in a more structured way plan patient discharge and follow-up. Among them, in Spain, a study suggests that there would be a healthcare gap in patients with hospital discharge, which is why there are difficulties in guaranteeing correct compliance with the indications given at discharge.…”

“…Continuous care for PHC presupposes availability of resources and experience in managing care of complex patients and their families. 25 In the case of the local study, the interviewees show that this hospital establishment does not have implementation of a formal system for coordinated follow-up with PHC; when mentioning it as a demand felt by the nursing establishment, given that in their experience, the lack of follow-up and feedback affects continuity of care and implies risk for patients.…”

Evaluation of the usability of a mobile application in early detection of pediatric cancer

“…Establishing the nurse's profile implies recognizing abilities, skills, experiences and knowledge, aiming at the continuity of patient care, from primary care to high complexity (15) .…”

Práticas de enfermeiros de um hospital universitário na continuidade do cuidado para a atenção primária

“…Na Espanha, Portugal e Canadá, os enfermeiros realizam a articulação do serviço hospitalar com a APS e são preparados para promover a continuidade do cuidado 10 . Nesses países, as Enfermeiras Hospitalares de Enlace (EHE) e as Enfermeiras de Ligação realizam a avaliação clínica e social do paciente e utilizam protocolos na alta hospitalar 11 .…”

“…Na Espanha, a EHE realiza esta articulação com a enfermeira da APS por meio de plataforma eletrônica hospitalar, tablet ou pelo telefone 11 . Em Portugal e no Canadá, a Enfermeira de Ligação identifica os recursos necessários na pós-alta para o cuidado no domicílio e realiza o contato com os profissionais da APS.…”