A study featured in the Annals of Internal Medicine reports that elderly patients and their families are more satisfied with homecare, which also resulted in shorter hospital stays and lower costs. (Medical News Today)
Although anyone could have guessed the results, it’s good to have formal studies with hard numbers. Patients generally prefer recovering at home with people who love them, no matter how kind and caring health care professionals may be.
In related news, some of the country’s top scientists gathered to attend an interdisciplinary conference to discuss relationship-centered care and found that relationships are important:
“What we have found repeatedly is that medical care succeeds when there are stable and enduring relationships,” says Dr. Frankel.
“Successful outcomes lie not simply in the mechanics of medical care, but in the social and emotional context of the doctor patient relationship. For example, a medical test might reveal that a patient has a condition requiring a significant change in diet. The doctor must develop a working relationship with the patient if the treatment is to succeed. Simply telling someone to control his dietary intake, without knowing the individual, doesn’t work.”