Nursing care

Nursing care

Licence no L04034

The purpose of nursing care is to maintain and, where possible, improve patients’ state of health and ability to cope, to provide treatment and support to patients in a stable condition and, if necessary, to alleviate their ailments. Nursing care also helps people prepare for going to a care institution or home. Nursing care is provided both in inpatient (hospital or care institution) and outpatient (home nursing, home supportive care for cancer patients) environment, depending on the patient’s need. 

A doctor decides whether a patient needs nursing care and provides a patient with a referral for the service.


Nursing care in a hospital

Inpatient nursing care i.e. provision of nursing care in a hospital, is intended for a patient in a stable condition not needing continuous medical care, but who needs help and treatment procedures to the extent that exceeds the facilities of home nursing. A patient may need such assistance after a trauma or serious illness, or when a chronic condition worsens, but also to alleviate ailments caused by a serious illness. The family physician or medical specialist alone or together with a nurse decide whether a patient needs to be referred to a nursing hospital. The length of stay in a nursing hospital and the services provided depend on the patient's state of health and the need for nursing care.

Patient’s co-payment in inpatient nursing care

Inpatient nursing care patients covered by health insurance pay 15% and EHIF 85% of the per diem fees. In addition, the patient may be charged a bed-day fee of 25 euros for the first ten days of hospital stay.


Home nursing

Home nursing is intended for patients whose health condition does not require inpatient care, but who still need professional medical care. Home nursing may be necessary to a person with reduced mobility who is not able go to the doctor on their own. A home nurse is, therefore, also an important link between a family physician or attending physician and a person in need. A family physician or medical specialist decides whether a patient needs home nursing service. A referral is required, where the physician has to indicate the patient's health problems and treatment, and the nurse has to note any needs for nursing care. Home nursing, like all other outpatient nursing care services, is free of charge for insured persons.