Anne-Kari Johannesen
Akershus University Hospital, Norway
Title: A municipal acute unit (MAU) – ideals and realities?
Biography
Biography: Anne-Kari Johannesen
Abstract
Municipal acute units (MAU) is a new healthcare service that all Norwegian municipalities are obligated to offer their residents within January 1, 2016. These units, organized at the interface between hospital and municipal homecare services, aim to prevent or shorten hospital stays and alleviate some of the pressure on the hospital sector. Urgent inpatient municipal care involves organizational changes, and raise questions whether this creates new interfaces with increased risk of failure in patient safety. Common diagnosis for admission to a MAU are: fractures, pain conditions, leg ulcers, infections, constipation, diarrhea, pneumonia, COPD exacerbation and cognitive impairment. The patient’s average age is 75. GPs, emergency departments and outpatient polyclinics transfer patients to MAUs. The inpatient timeframe is three days. In an pilot study we have explored how user participation in treatment and care happens in a MAU. Findings show that lack of resources, short length of stay and bustle result in limited user participation. The staff collaborate well, but they strive to establish an appropriate collaboration towards the patients’ families, and professionals working at the purchaser offices in the city districts. Fragile patients, some suffering of dementia or complex somatic diseases, influence the degree of user participation. Findings in the pilot study will be important for further development of a PhD project aiming to study conditions promoting and preventing user participation from the perspectives of patients and family caregivers.