Bringing the hospital into the home
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A movement to provide hospital-level care for sick patients in their own beds, in the comfort of familiar surroundings, is growing in the United States — a trend already embraced in some other countries
Awhile back, Robert Diegelmann completed a 10-day hospital visit — in the comfort of his home.
The 81-year-old was being treated for a recurring infection at VCU Medical Center’s brick-and-mortar hospital in Richmond, Virginia, when his doctor suggested he finish his hospital stay at his home in Midlothian, some 15 miles away.
The medical center arranged his transportation home and supplied meals. Nurses visited twice a day, and twice a day by video, too. A courier delivered daily medications to his house. His vital signs were monitored remotely, and he had round-the-clock access to a clinician via phone call or text.
“Every day or so, a physician would get on the screen, and we would talk back and forth, and he would answer any questions I had,” says Diegelmann, a retired biochemistry and molecular biology professor. “It was exactly like being in the hospital, but much more comfortable.”
