Hospital at Home

Hospital at Home allows eligible patients to receive hospital-level care in their homes rather than in a hospital. Patients of the Medicine program at St. Paul’s Hospital have access to the program.

Preparing for Hospital at Home

If you are admitted to the Medicine program at St. Paul’s Hospital and your doctor thinks you would be a good candidate for Hospital at Home, you will be offered the opportunity to take part. The choice is yours.  You can choose to participate in Hospital at Home or continue receiving your care at St. Paul’s Hospital.

If you choose to take part in Hospital at Home, you will be transferred home. A registered nurse will bring equipment and remote monitoring tools to your home.

You are still a St. Paul’s Hospital inpatient when you’re receiving care from the Hospital at Home team. You will have daily, in-person visits from a registered nurse. As well, you will have virtual or in-person visits from doctors and other care providers, such as social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and pharmacists.

Hospital at Home staff will track your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels remotely, without you having to visit the hospital. If you have any questions or concerns, you can call a member of the Hospital at Home team. You can call at any time of the day or night. If your condition gets worse, you will return to St. Paul’s Hospital by ambulance.

Your role in your care

As a Hospital at Home patient, you will be involved in your care. 

• You will participate in virtual visits with your care team and allow the care team to visit your home to care for you.
• You will take medications given by the Hospital at Home doctors and write down when you took them.
• You will use the equipment brought to your home that allows the care team to monitor your health.

Typical care you might receive:

• Daily assessments of your progress and recovery
• Help with your medications
• Blood tests and other tests
• Oxygen therapy
• Wound care
• IV therapy

Benefits of Hospital at Home

Hospital at Home is not a new program. Hospitals in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia have been using it for more than 20 years. It is also offered at several other hospitals in BC.

Data from other hospitals shows that Hospital at Home is as safe as or safer than traditional hospital care. Patients have lower rates of hospital-based complications (e.g., infection or blood clots). In addition, Hospital at Home lets you recover in a comfortable, familiar environment.

Doctors and other health care professionals in the Medicine program at St. Paul’s Hospital can recommend patients to the Hospital at Home team for assessment. The patient must have a known diagnosis, live within a 15-minute drive of St. Paul’s Hospital, and have a safe home environment that includes access to a phone and fridge.

Common diagnoses of Hospital at Home patients include:

• Congestive heart failure
• Pneumonia
• COPD
• Dehydration
• Sepsis
• Cellulitis

Note that there may be other diagnoses not included in this list.