The growth and continuing evolution of care needs, linked in particular to the aging of the population and the increase in chronic illnesses, have prompted the Canton of Vaud to promote innovative care models and new professional profiles, including recognition of the role of nurse practitioner (NP). Unisanté is actively involved in promoting and integrating this new role, with the support of the canton. A postgraduate training program for primary care NPs is currently being developed, and the opening of an innovative health center has made it possible to establish this role in the primary care medical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealthcare costs are a sensitive issue in Switzerland, in particular because of the financial burden of insurance premiums on households. The amount of resources allocated and their significant and regular increase seem to be out of control. But what do these costs really represent? How do we fuel our "machine" and what is the combustion mechanism behind it? At a time when debates are often very much focused on individual interests, this article attempts to answer these questions and to examine the sustainability of a health policy that focuses above all on illness and the cost of care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated patients' adherence to recommendations after telephone triage at the Swiss Centre for Telemedicine. We studied cases where the medical problem was assessed as not requiring an immediate face-to-face consultation. Two weeks after teleconsultation, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with 1129 self-care patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study aimed at investigating whether data from medical teleconsultations may contribute to influenza surveillance.
Methods: International Classification of Primary Care 2nd Edition (ICPC-2) codes were used to analyse the proportion of teleconsultations due to influenza-related symptoms. Results were compared with the weekly Swiss Sentinel reports.
This paper aims to estimate empirically the efficiency of a Swiss telemedicine service introduced in 2003. We used claims' data gathered by a major Swiss health insurer, over a period of 6 years and involving 160 000 insured adults. In Switzerland, health insurance is mandatory, but everyone has the option of choosing between a managed care plan and a fee-for-service plan.
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