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Emergency form: Patient wishes in the palliative care area count!
The new emergency form for palliative patients improves communication about transport requests in the hospital and increases patient autonomy.
Emergency form: Patient wishes in the palliative care area count!
A groundbreaking innovation in the field of palliative medicine is generating a positive response: a new emergency form enables palliative care patients to make decisions about their transport to the hospital at the crucial moment. How steiermark.orf.at reported, patients can clearly indicate whether they want to be transported to the hospital in an emergency or not. This makes the work of emergency physicians much easier, as they are often faced with the challenge of acting in the best interests of the patient, especially when the patient is no longer able to communicate. Studies show that this measure made it possible to fulfill the wish to die at home in nine out of ten cases.
This measure to strengthen patient will is part of a comprehensive palliative care project that was initiated by various organizations, including the KAGes and the Med Uni Graz. In addition to the emergency form, a guide for palliative medical emergencies was also created, which is available to doctors and nursing staff. The guide contains important information on relieving typical symptoms such as pain and nausea, as Norbert Bauer, the medical director of the Hartberg mobile palliative care team, explains.
The everyday life of patient transporters
At the same time, patient transport is emphasized in the hospital as an essential part of the clinic's operations. Patient transport employees play a crucial role in bringing patients to their examinations on time and accompanying them back to the wards ordensklinikum.at explained. Nowadays, transport is digitalized and enables quick zipping and clear assignment of orders, which has significantly optimized the process. Employees like Rene Angermayr emphasize the interpersonal encounters and the emotional challenges that transport work brings with it. Despite the often short conversations with patients, they experience many moments full of joy and emotion.
The numbers speak for themselves: Over 132,100 transports were carried out in 2019 alone, with more than 500 transports occurring during core working hours on peak days. This shows the incredible density and importance of the work of transport service workers in a hospital, where every transport is not only a logistical task, but also a human encounter.