Evaluation of patients' satisfaction with hospital-at-home care

On July 1, 1997 in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, a pilot experiment of H ospital-at-Home Care (H-Hcare) was set up for a I-year period at four sites to measure patients' satisfaction with this type of health care. Out of 17 4 patients referred to the H-Hcare program for a wide range of treatments, 107 were medical patients admitted for heart failure, community acquired pn eumonia, or for an infectious disease requiring IV-antibiotherapy; 95 of th ese agreed to express H-Hcare satisfaction and dissatisfactions during a se mistructured interview conducted 6 weeks after admission. H-Hcare was consi dered a viable alternative to hospitalization when the illness is nor too s erious, and for patients who are still independent and need little care. Wh en patients are more severely ill, they prefer to go to hospital to avoid o verburdening their caregivers and to feel more secure.