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In March, 14,700 people lived in nursing homes in the county. In July, 7 percent had died with covid-19. One in five had been infected, figures from the Stockholm Region show.
In the Stockholm Region, the two companies Familjeläkarna i Saltsjöbaden AB and Capio Legevisitten are responsible for medical interventions for a total of 90 per cent of the elderly in special housing. Figures from the Stockholm Region that DN has read show that the difference between the two companies is significant, both in terms of the proportion infected and killed.
In Familjeläkarna Twenty-four percent of those on the list have been infected with the disease and 9 percent have died. In Capio Legevisitten, 16 percent have been infected and 5 percent died with covid-19.
– We can see that in households where we are responsible for doctor visits, the spread of infection has been less compared to others, says Margareta Danelius, Capio Sweden’s chief doctor, to DN.
Margareta Danelius, Capio Sweden’s chief physician.
Photo: Barzan Dello
She addresses what she considers important factors in limiting the spread of infection in households: early ban on visits, only “essential” medical visits, high continuity with good patient knowledge, good cooperation with residents and the medically responsible nurse. about the latest virus knowledge and update. routines.
DN has since May sought out family physicians for an interview. The company responds in an email that the figures are misleading, as family doctors, in addition to the 6,548 listed in special accommodations, have also been responsible for 2,571 short-term accommodations during the pandemic.
The company writes that a large portion of the patients had COVID-19 when they moved into the nursing home and that sadly, they died there.
However, by region, the numbers are comparable as all care providers report the numbers in the same way.
Christoffer Bernsköld, manager of the health and medical care administration unit, describes that it was to control the workload that the region asked care providers about figures on the number of infected and dead, respectively. But according to Bernsköld, the companies have stated that they have handled the situation well.
You have a hard time believing that the difference is due to different ways of working.
– It probably has more to do with whether the infection entered the houses they were responsible for. The conditions for the different accommodations differ and my image is that the variation is very large in various areas. They are different in size and have different conditions in terms of how they organized their work, she says, referring to Ivo’s ongoing review of nursing homes across the country.
Bernsköld connects the high mortality rates in covid-19 in nursing homes to the wide spread of the infection in the community, where Stockholm was the most affected.
– This meant that sadly many were infected and residents are a clear risk group, meaning that many have died as a result.
Christoffer Bernsköld, Head of Unit for Health and Care Administration.
Photo: Anna Molander
DN’s review has shown that physical doctor visits to nursing homes in the Stockholm region decreased by 24 percent during the pandemic, and that a third of visits were made remotely.
What does it matter if doctors are present when you have an infection there?
– I think the most important thing is if you have had continuity, and by switching to remote contact, you could have better continuity with the doctors. In and of itself, I don’t think it has had any significance if you’ve had remote contact or been on site. Doctors must carry out an individual evaluation in each case, says Christoffer Bernsköld.
The region does not know what kind of consultation remote medical organizations do, according to Bernsköld.
Bengt Winblad, professor of geriatrics, believes that the medical standard in special housing should be raised.
Photo: Jan Falk
The question has been asked by a group of doctors in a discussion article in Läkartidningen in July. Among others, Bengt Winblad, professor of geriatrics, says that the high mortality rates cannot be explained solely by infection in society.
– It is surprising that it has such an excessive death rate in Stockholm: 7 per cent is a high figure compared to 2.8 per cent when looking at all of Sweden.
He doesn’t think that covid patients can be assessed remotely and are upset that palliative care has been prescribed over the phone.
– Medical ethics is more than just prescribing drugs. Here they have not even visited the patients, and thus cannot give prescriptions for palliative care with, for example, morphine treatment.
In the article, the authors emphasize that the medical content of special homes should be improved. This is especially true in Stockholm, according to Winblad.
