Improvement of patient care
The Cardiology and Nephrology services of the Trueta hospital in Girona have established a new joint unit called Cardiorenal. This unit aims to provide specialist care for patients suffering from both heart disease and kidney disease. The main objective is to improve the coordination between the two services of the hospital and offer a more comprehensive care focused on the needs of patients. This initiative is a response to the high prevalence of kidney disease in patients with heart failure, which ranges from 50% to 70%.
Specialized professional teams
The Cardiorenal unit is made up of a multidisciplinary team that includes cardiologists specializing in heart failure, nephrologists specializing in chronic kidney disease, nursing staff and administrative staff. These professionals work together to provide comprehensive care to patients. Patients are referred to this unit by the same professionals from the Cardiology and Nephrology services of the Trueta de Girona and Santa Caterina de Salt hospitals.
A single visit for patients
One of the main advantages of the Cardiorenal unit is that patients can be treated in a single visit, instead of having to make separate visits to the Cardiology and Nephrology services. This allows for better coordination and more efficient care. In addition, the unit has complete medical equipment for the treatment and care of both pathologies, including a day hospital consultation for an early assessment in case of decompensation (https://www.softcatala.org/ summary-of-texts-in-catalan/).
A response to growing needs
The aging population has contributed to the increase in patients with combined heart and kidney disease. Before the creation of the Cardiorenal unit, these patients had to make separate follow-up visits to the Cardiology and Nephrology services. With the new unit, it seeks to improve care and provide a more effective response to these growing needs. Since January of this year, 40 patients have already been treated and forecasts indicate that up to 250 cases will be treated by the end of 2024 (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala /).
