SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 10 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Research Unit (HUNSC-GAPT) of the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, along with the Primary Care Management of Tenerife, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Health of the Canary Islands Government, is undertaking a study to develop a care plan aimed at identifying and locating highly complex chronic patients in order to enhance their treatment and care.
This initiative, projected to span ten years, is led by the Canary Islands Research Group on Nursing Taxonomies (CareCan), under the direction of Dr. Ruymán Brito. It examines, from an epidemiological standpoint in Primary Care (PC), the monitoring of care requirements for all Canarian citizens in this category, a demographic numbering around 100,000 individuals.
A key aim of the project is to map this population by health zones, municipalities, and postal codes, calculating the ratios of both existing and new cases to ensure efficient healthcare planning and coverage.
To achieve this, factors influencing functionality must be considered, such as the level of dependence and the degree of fragility, which indicates a broad spectrum of potential needs that nurses document in electronic health records.
With its execution and in collaboration with Canarian hospitals, professionals would be able to provide tailored attention to each individual, sharing information as specified by the Strategy for Addressing Chronicity. This underscores the necessity of fortifying Primary Care teams to restructure health services, thereby actively engaging users, families, and communities in health management.
Since 2009, this group has been involved in researching the care needs of individuals receiving treatment in PC. Throughout this period, its researchers have taken part in regional, national, and international public projects, in addition to disseminating their findings through scientific publications and conferences. Some members include not only professionals from the Canarian Health Service but also lecturers from the Nursing Department at the University of La Laguna (ULL).