Editing Palliative care (section)

== 3. Impatient capacities for providing palliative care and nurses ==

Palliative care can be provided in healthcare institutions such as inpatient wards of health centers, hospital wards for extended care and palliative care, and specialized palliative care institutions such as hospices or specialized hospitals for extended care. In addition, in addition to healthcare institutions, care is also provided in social care institutions such as foster families or inpatient homes for the elderly. In addition to institutional forms of care, depending on the possibilities and support of the patient’s family, care can be organized at the patient’s home with the support of services operating in the community, such as volunteers.

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=== 3.1. Inpatient capacities organized by hospital institutions ===

Healthcare for long-term care patients is provided in all forms of hospital treatment. The system recognizes complex patients and those in long-term care from emergency hospital admissions, through acute hospital wards and day hospitals, to extended care wards, i.e. long-term care and palliative care. The organization of individual services and accommodation capacities differs between regions, most often reflecting the specificity of available resources and the level of development of integrated or palliative care. Complex patients and those in long-term care are most often identified at emergency admissions in acute care hospitals. Later, during hospital treatment, problems often arise due to the length of the patient’s stay in the hospital, and more and more hospitals are introducing the role of nurse coordinators for palliative care and complex patients, who have a special role in care coordination and discharge planning. patients who need long-term care. Due to various forms of hospital mergers and ownership transfers, some general hospitals have day hospitals, acute beds, extended care beds and palliative care beds.

Special hospitals usually have beds for extended care, long-term care and palliative care. Also, especially for patients who have mental problems, care is provided in special psychiatric hospitals. Given that some patients who needed long-term care also needed long-term care, a special hybrid model was introduced in some institutions where hospitals used the right (within their capabilities!) to form special units, which in fact they represent social care wards where people are accommodated. who have no family or the possibility of independent living. (Ugljan Special Hospital, Lopača Special Hospital, …)

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=== 3.2. Inpatient capacities organized by health centers ===

Outpatient clinics are organized in certain places and branches of health centers. This service enables the temporary accommodation of patients who need enhanced care, and there are no adequate accommodation capacities in social institutions and hospitals in the region. Thus, small departments have been organized in certain places and branches of health centers where patients with serious health problems and the need for care that cannot be provided at home are taken care of. In some situations, these units are specifically focused on palliative care and are fully equipped for palliative care, such as the case of the Split-Dalmatia County Health Center located in the city of Split.