Comparative survey of work of home visiting service

Two types of treatment: ambulatory and hospital are distinguished both in medical practice and theoretical treatises. Need for home visiting service is more and more expressed. 'Home visiting service is neither a replacement for hospital treatment nor continued hospital treatment'. There are several aspects of home visiting service. It includes many activities in the patient's home, from home visit to intensive or organized home treatment carried out by a special unit of home visiting service. Team leader of home visiting service is a general practitioner. Successful development of home visiting service in urban surroundings has been proved in practice. The purpose of this paper was comparative follow-up of work of home vis­iting service team of Health Centre Palilula in 1999 and 2000. Patients who were treated twice or more times within stated period have been particularly followed-up and compared. Case records which the physician opened when accepting a patient for home treatment for stated period have been used for the purpose of this study. The results of this study have shown that the leading indications for conduction of home treatment were malignant diseases, chronic obstructive lung disease - the share of both types of health disorder is over 30% within whole morbidity, as well as cardiovascular diseases which were reason for treatment. In 2000 year, chronic obstructive lung disease was the principle reason for conducting home treatment. Malignant diseases, chronic obstructive lung disease, cardiovascular and other diseases are most found with persons 65 years old and older. Most patients in the followed-up years were recovered upon the ending of home treatment. The share of malignant diseases, chronic obstructive lung disease, cardio­vascular and other diseases is the largest with the persons who were treated by house physician twice or more times during stated years, in the age group of 65 and older. The statistical significance has been determined with the persons 65 year old and older, when comparing 1999 and 2000. As one of conclusions, we may state that home visiting service has a significant role in follow-up and treatment of patients the ones who need to be treated. .