Estonia plans health guides to curb repeat hospital admissions

Estonia plans to introduce health pathway guides to help people with high support needs manage their conditions at home and avoid repeated hospital treatment, ERR reports.

The reform was discussed at a public hearing of the Estonian Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee on Monday. The guides are expected to create an individual plan for each person, setting out the medical treatment and social support they need.

Ten health pathway guides are already working at two hospitals and three family medicine centres in Ida-Viru County. Their role is to help people manage their illnesses and treatment at home, said Tarmo Tohver, head of Ida-Viru Central Hospital.

The project in Ida-Viru County is funded by the Just Transition Fund, which covers staff costs and software needed to access relevant data. The funding is available until 2027. Tohver said he hopes the reform linking healthcare and social services will be in place by then.

Pilot projects are under way in five counties. Social Affairs Committee member Irja Lutsar said participants have different understandings of what a health pathway guide’s work should involve. The Ministry of Social Affairs said the reform remains on schedule, despite further analyses, and guides are due to start work on May 1, 2028.

The plan will also set out what individuals and their relatives can do to support the person’s health, such as taking medication regularly or doing daily exercises, said Annika Lai, the ministry’s deputy secretary general for health. People will be able to decline help from a guide.

The reform’s success will be measured by whether emergency department visits and the need for hospital treatment decrease. Lai cited a clinical study of the PAIK project at Viljandi Hospital, which found that costs associated with emergency hospitalisations fell by 32 percent.