As explained by the director of the 2nd Neurological Clinic of the AUTH, Professor of Neurology Nikos Grigoriadis, the Multiple Sclerosis Center (MSC) of the 2nd Neurological Clinic of the AUTH at the AHEPA University Hospital operates as a model unit for providing healthcare services to people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Northern Greece and the wider territory.
In this context, the Center has imagined a new service for ALS, in order to offer medical care at home, which could also include hospital treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS).
Patients, provided they meet the inclusion criteria in the CSF program, will be able to systematically receive personalized care and medical monitoring at home, i.e. without having to go to hospital. In any case, the CSF remains the long-term reference point for this category of ALS and its relatives.
According to the professor, personalized healthcare, as well as the sustainability of healthcare systems, are among the most important challenges to face. “HOME” is a patient-centered program, with the aim of improving the quality of life of people affected by ALS, through the provision of improved and immediate healthcare services and the reduction of the burden caused by the need to transfer them to hospital units. “Following our vision of providing high-quality home care services, we are making specialized MS treatments accessible to more patients. At the same time, this initiative brings benefits to the healthcare ecosystem, such as better resource management and a holistic approach to MS management,” adds Grigoriadis and underlines: “Our goal is to gradually create a service with the potential to expand to other hospitals in the country, which will bring significant benefits for the patient, the clinic and the healthcare system and will serve as a model for its implementation.”
The benefits for the patient
The benefits for the patient are multiple:
- Provide personalized care with particular attention to the management of chronic symptoms.
- Reduction in travel expenses.
- Maintain patient independence.
- Friendly environment that helps mental health.
- Reduction of burdensome movements for patients with mobility problems.
- Family involvement aimed at improving the patient’s emotional well-being.
- Avoid nosocomial infections with reduced risk of exposure that could be caused by shared healthcare spaces.
For the hospital, respectively, the following is obtained:
- Increase in hospital availability thanks to the unblocking of beds.
- Assignment of hospital beds to patients with greater hospitalization needs. Progressive reduction of hospitalization costs thanks to the minimization of readmissions for MS patients.
- Simplifying patient care coordination.
The benefits for the healthcare system are also important:
- Creating new innovative treatment paths for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.
- Confidence in the National Health Service is growing.
- Reduction of general care costs (avoidance of hospital infections).
- And the progressive unblocking of beds.