Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 50th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

Delivery of medical care to the neurological intractable diseases at home

Mieko Ogino, M.D., Ph.D. MMA.

Department of Neurology, Kitasato University School of Medicine

It is the case of the great difficulties for patients living with neurological intractable diseases to visit outpatient when the diseases are in the progressive stage. The national nursing care insurance was matured and the revised medical insurance system led to open the local supportive clinic for home care in 2006. It has set easier access to medical care at home.
This is encouraging for patients who wish to continue to live with their families at their long time home. The medical care at home is where the attending physician has to demonstrate the expertise of how to assemble in- and out- interdisciplinary medical team. Moving a hospital room simply into at home does not made a medical care at home. You have to begin recognizing what gaps needed to fill in between a hospital room and at home.
This is the area beyond what a family doctor single-handedly deals with due to the nature of the diseases. The dual attending physician set-up is desirable including a family doctor and a specialist.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (173K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 49: 870|871, 2009)
key words: neurological intractable diseases, medical care at home, the dual attending physician set-up, interdisciplinary medical team

(Received: 21-May-09)