Page 20 - ICS Vall d'Hebron University Hospital 2011

20 ICS · Vall d’Hebron University Hospital 2011
Intercultural Mediation:
Increasingly More Necessary
The diversity of the population forces us to expand our
sphere of knowledge to respond to immigrant groups.
Intercultural mediation is a tool that is becoming increa-
singly necessary to guarantee mutual communication and
comprehension between users and professionals. In 2011,
309 requests were received.
Facilitating Hospital Stays and Making Them
More Comfortable
Hotel for Patients. In 2011, rooms at Hotel Alimara were
arranged for 42 patients who lived outside Barcelona.
These patients did not need a high-tech bed, but they did
need to be near the hospital for diagnostic tests, oncology
treatments and rehabilitation.
Welcome Apartments. In 2011, 81 families and/or patients
from outside the European Union with a lack of resources
were housed in the welcome apartments of different foun-
dations with which the hospital maintains cooperation agre-
ements. These apartments make it possible to accompany
patients when they are admitted to the hospital or when
they are being monitored and/or receiving outpatient care.
Internal Transportation. The Hospibus, a bus that facili-
tates travel for patients and accompanying parties in the
hospital complex, provided service to 9,310 users.
Volunteers. The hospital has 31 cooperation agreements
with volunteer organizations and foundations, and nearly
1,000 volunteers provide support to patients and family
members during their stay at the hospital. Cooperation is
also received from other organizations for some activities
and through specific donations. Volunteer Recognition Day
was held on 1 December 2011.
Hospital Classroom. In the 2010-2011 academic year, the
teachers in the hospital classroom taught 475 students of
all educational levels, ranging from day care to vocational
training and secondary school. Moreover, 1,982 children
and teens, ages 11 to 18, attended at least one of the activi-
ties organized by the hospital’s cyber classroom.
External Communication
Two additional Skype connections were added to the
Maternal/Child area, so that immigrant mothers who gave
birth at the hospital and any other patients can communi-
cate with their family members and friends.
Activities with the Community and Citizen
Participation
Vall d’Hebron University Hospital interacts with its reference
population through actions that include participation on the
three health councils in their area of influence, and
implements different activities to promote health and
prevention at centres for the elderly in this area. It also
interacts with associations of neighbours to gather
information on their needs, and to provide information and
training. In 2011, a focus group was organized on people’s
perception of the information received from the hospital.
The trend of the activity of the Public Healthcare Unit is to
grow and increase in complexity, which means that the
people working directly with the public when providing
care have to respond faster and more efficiently to people’s
healthcare and social demands. Continuous training forms
part of the challenge facing these staff members, as do the
satisfaction surveys filled out by hospital users to help
improve processes.
With the aim of listening to the voice of people treated at
the hospital and including the relevant improvement
actions, a total of 2,478 complaints, 646 oral complaints,
230 suggestions and 531 signs of appreciation were handled
in 2011. The signs of appreciation reflect the perception of
having received good care and excellent treatment.
Moreover, the Social Work Unit dealt with a population
whose common denominator is disease and the conse-
quences that can arise from it by providing personalized
social care to patients and their environment. In 2011, this
unit handled 2,822 first appointments and more than 4,000
follow-up appointments.