Home Hospitalization (HAD) is a healthcare modality that is conceived as an alternative to conventional hospital hospitalization. Its objective is to avoid admission or reduce the stay of patients in the hospital center, guaranteeing treatments and care, while preventing potential intrahospital complications.
People who suffer from lung cancer and who have to undergo a lung resection, around 15% of patients suffer from an air leak because the lung tissues have not yet healed, and in 99% of cases this is the main cause of remaining hospitalized for a longer period, as the drain cannot be removed. Air leaks can persist for days or even 2 or 3 weeks, in some cases.
Given this situation, and to improve the patient's recovery, Dr. David Sánchez from the Thoracic Surgery service, and Dr. Abel Mujal, head of Home Hospitalization, studied the possibility of including these people in the HAD with a pleural drainage, which is the same as that used during their hospitalization on the hospital floor.
"Our goal was that patients would not have to be admitted to the hospital, just to need this pleural drainage, because completing the recovery at home is much more beneficial for patients and their families. That's why we contacted our colleagues at HAD.”, explains Dr. Sánchez.
To provide good care for these people, the HAD team of professionals were trained to use Thopaz, the digital pleural drainage system, which marks the air leak suffered by the patient. “We worked collaboratively with the nursing team on the first floor of Taulí, who explained and trained the HAD professionals on how to care for and handle the digital device. Finally, a protocol was established between the HAD and thoracic surgery for the management of these patients.”, explains Vanessa González, coordinator of the outpatient area nursing team.
With the established protocol, the home hospitalization team has been a pioneer in Catalonia in the care of a patient, who was wearing pleural drainage (thopaz), at home. “We visited the patient at home 4 times. And when we verified that the device had been reading 0 for 12 hours, meaning there was no air leak, we contacted the thoracic surgery team, who treated the patient the same day to be able to remove the device and discharge the patient.", says the HAD nurse who visited the patient, Teresa Valle.
Dr. Sánchez assures that the established protocol worked perfectly. “When the HAD colleagues verified that there was no air leak, the patient was transferred to the day hospital to have an X-ray and certify that he was fine. We removed the drain and he went home with the hospital discharge.".
The experience has been very positive, both for the patient and for the HAD and thoracic surgery team, which with this joint work, opens the door to new joint collaborations between the two services.
With this success story, it has been proven once again that "Hospitalization at home is beneficial for the patient's recovery and their emotional well-being, and that of the family. In addition, problems derived from hospitalization such as iatrogenics, falls and, depending on age, geriatric syndromes are avoided."", assures the coordinator of the nursing team.
Hospitalization at home
This service is made up of teams made up of medical and nursing staff from the hospital, on morning and afternoon shifts, who offer the same healthcare services as the hospital at the patient's home. When the patient's clinical situation is stable, they will be discharged, as is done in the hospital.
"The future lies in the home. Not only because of age; but because it adds value. Seeing the patient at home is seeing them in their environment. Their condition is much better than in the hospital because the patient and family feel minimal stress. And their recovery is much faster, because they have already adapted to their new situation.", assures Dr. Abel Mujal.
For Dr. Sánchez, “This is the beginning of future collaborations. Home Hospitalization is the future. Not having to hospitalize patients who are stable and can finish recovering at home is the best recovery they can have, without having to suffer all the discomforts of an admission.".
The HAD team at Parc Taulí has around 70 virtual beds and during 2025 around 1.700 patients were treated.
