About 500 patients have already benefited from programs for seniors of the Princess.

– there have been five of 29 programs announced for older people

-plans are the result of the project proposed by the Government after working with professionals

Spain, April 2013.- the Minister of health, Javier Fernández Lasquettypresented, on Monday, the first results of five of the 29 specific programmes targeted at older people being developed by the hospital de La Princesa, and so far have benefited about 500 patients. The 24 remaining plans have also begun, and are each of them a different development phase.

The professionals of the hospital de La Princesa exposed the effort that the Center is doing in controlling spending at all levels, to reach the compromise agreed with the Ministry of health. The plans that were presented are the result of the project raised by the regional government after the joint work with professionals last November. The address of the Center has agreed with each head of Department the goal of annual expenditure. Through a computer tool that can check daily, known in real time data service leading consumed material, drugs and diagnostic tests.

The submitted plans have been code stroke, to the Chief of service of Neurology, Dr. José Vivancos; the unit of shared care with primary care and the patient polimedicado, carried out by Dr. Carmen Suárez, head of internal medicine service; the unit of comprehensive care for the patient with kidney disease, led by doctor José Antonio Sánchez, head of Department of Nephrology; Home Telemonitoring in patients with COPD, run by Dr. Julio Ancochea, head of Pneumology Service and prevention of malnutrition in patients admitted to the charge of Águeda de la Cita, supervisor of nursing, pharmacy, nutrition and dietetics.

Software development

Stroke is a major health problem, closely associated with aging. In the community of Madrid each year affects about 15,000 person. The stroke unit of the Hospital de La Princesa serves more than 500 patients affected by a stroke a year, of which 51% are over 75 years of age. From this starting point, and in order to minimize its consequences and improve early, specialized and multidisciplinary care in the elderly patient, the Neurology service has developed the project of the code stroke in the elderly.

Another program is the care unit shared with primary care, which offers older patients affected by various diseases and therefore polymedicated, shared, coordinated care, between their physician primary care and the general practitioner in order to avoid unnecessary travel, hospital admissions or visits to emergencyensuring a safe drug prescription.

The average age of the patients served through this program is 83-year-old. In addition, thanks to the implementation of this plan the average in the Center stay has been reduced by 3.5 days and they have been reduced in emergency income by 22%.

The third program is the disease Renal chronic advanced which is associated with many complications and high mortality. In addition, it is estimated that you between 2% and 3% of the population over 65 suffers from this disease. Comprehensive care unit to patients with Renal disease seeks to respond to the specific needs of these patients, and is aimed at slowing the progression of this disease by optimizing health care resources. In the same way, is intended to prevent and treat complications stemming from the same through a plan of information and education in self-care that allow them to improve their quality of life.

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease that causes high mortality and disability. Of those affected by it, 10% suffer from severe form, these being, in many cases, elderly, over 70 years.

The hospitalization program home in this type of patients, developed by the service of Pneumology in which coordinates a pulmonologist, a nurse and primary care, has allowed to act early detecting exacerbations of COPD in the early stages and in the patient’s home, in order to improve their quality of life, and avoid a larger number of visits to emergency and hospital admissions.

Maximum performance in care, teaching and research

Elderly patients admitted to the hospital should also be focus of attention from the nutritional point of view since, if within 24 hours after admission, the degree of malnutrition is not evaluated, these risks may be aggravated by the therapeutic processes to which are subjected.

Malnutrition in patients of advanced age favors complications, and therefore can be extended hospital stay.

Aware of this problem, the Hospital de La Princesa has developed a plan of nutritional alert that allows, through the analytical control and anthropometric values, control the weight, size and skin fold, among others, to detect the degree of malnutrition, so professionals can make early intervention that prevent or enhance these potential risks.

The work carried out since November by professionals of the hospital de La Princesa in the development of programs aimed at older people has run parallel to the normal operation of the Centre. Since then there have been 5,998 admissions, 168.626 outpatient and 34.431 patients treated in the emergency room. Similarly has continued its research and teaching character.