Wholesome Contact Project – What Prevents Elders From Complications of Hospitalization? (part of Symposium: the Wholesome Contact Project...)

Abstract

Our aim is to introduce to ideas motivating Wholesome Contact Project. In 2012 interdisciplinary, volunteers-based programme for prevention of iatrogenic influence of elders hospitalization was founded. The Project is to improve well-being and to protect patients in geriatric internal ward from somatic and psychological stress connected with hospitalization. The programme focuses on the most frequent complication – delirium: suffering itself, marker of poor outcome, higher mortality and institutionalization for older patients. In the design of prevention a special interest is given to risk and protective factors of delirium, to the use of experience and motivation of volunteers chosen from professionals-to-be (students of medicine and psychology) and to development of social and communication skills in medical staff to improve doctor-patient relationship. The parellel goal is evidence-based evaluation of designed prevention with the ideal of methodologically strict and highly contextualized study. The quantitative research on efficacy and cost-efectiveness of the programme as well as qualitative research on volunteers' experience and proper management of their work is being made.