Mobile Rheumahilfe Hannover: Modell einer wohnortnahen, langfristigen und umfassenden Versorgung von Patienten mit einer entzündlich-rheumatischen Erkrankung

The so-called "Mobile Rheumahilfe Hannover" ("Mobile Aid for Rheumatic Patients") is making an effort to close gaps in rheumatic patient care in close cooperation with general practitioners. The core team comprises a rheumatologist who is also specialized in internal diseases, a lady ergotherapist and a nurse. This team can rely on the support by a lady pschologist and a social worker, as well as by physiotherapists and consultants of the cost-bearing official institutions (social insurance services) and the League for Combating Rheumatic Diseases. Furthermore, all other required medical specialists, all official agencies and technical aid services are also ready to help whenever necessary. Scientific research assistance has been established. This mobile unit will commence its activities in mid-October 1982, sponsored by the Lower Saxony social insurance services. The main job will be to ensure coordinated interdisziplinary medical care which accompanies the course of the disease and which is oriented to benefit the patients and to solve the involved problems. At the same time, this service operates in the immediate vicinity of the patient's domicile and aims at outpatient treatment without referring the patient to a hospital, even in the case of problem patients whose inflammatory rheumatic disease appears refractory to diagnosis and/or treatment. The area covered by this mobile unit will be the entire city of Hannover.
The unit offers, besides medical rheumatological care in the narrow sense of the world, mainly physiotheraphy and ergotherapy, exercises in mobility, nursing aid, psychological and sociomedical consultation, the drawing-up of rehabilitation plan, and health education. The unit can arrange to visit the patient in his home or at his working place. Over and above this, it can be consulted by telephone or in writing, and it will also participate in regional continuing education and advanced training.