Česky
"Our project consists in creating two acute palliative care beds in the adult part of the hospital, more precisely in the internal ward, and two beds in the children's part of the hospital," says Bc. Jiří Pichlík, head nurse of the internal ward and coordinator of the project in Horovice.
At the same time, a large multidisciplinary team has been created in Hořovice, which is composed of various specialists from across the hospital departments (doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologist, clinical pharmacologist and rehabilitation doctor). They all come together in regular meetings to comment on individual cases and propose solutions.
"Our job is to identify the patient with a terminal illness early on, setting up the right treatment so that the unpleasant symptoms of the illness are controlled as effectively as possible. Then we provide all the necessary aids and follow-up care in order to enable the patient to be at home," explains Jiří Pichlík.
Palliative care beds(see photo) are available when it is necessary to adjust therapy or perform a relief procedure. In the event of hospitalization, the hospital allows the family to be present with the patient at the palliative care bed at all times.
"For this purpose, we have set up palliative rooms in single rooms with all facilities. The work of the palliative team members is not easy, but it is not just sad. We have already had a wedding on the ward," says a medical officer from Horovice.
Since the project was launched at the end of 2016, more than 40 patients have been cared for at the hospital in Hořovice. Some of the patients with incurable diseases were then discharged to home care, while others were transferred to hospices.
The palliative care project has the support of the hospital management and the staff themselves. Therefore, a gradual increase in capacity can be envisaged so that more seriously ill patients can be cared for in the future.
The guarantor of the whole project is MUDr. Mahulena Mojžíšová, the head of the children's ward, who is not only a highly erudite paediatrician, but also a certified palliator or a doctor educated in palliative medicine. She is very involved in the issues of palliative care and palliative medicine, among other things, as the chair of the working group of paediatric palliative medicine of the Czech Society of Palliative Medicine.
"The important thing to remember in the whole issue is that death is the inevitable conclusion of our lives, unfortunately sometimes prematurely due to a serious incurable disease. Nevertheless, it is important to know that it is possible to help even when a complete cure is not possible. The help consists primarily in improving the quality of life of the patient with such a disease, his support and the support of his family," says the health worker from Horovice.
