Mobile nurses offer support outside office hours

The mobile nurse service started a few years ago in senior care services and home care and one year ago in services for people with disabilities. The service is praised by the nurse working at Hampurinkuja housing group.
The mobile nurse can perform small procedures so that the resident does not have to go to the hospital. Photo: Markus Pentikäinen
The mobile nurse can perform small procedures so that the resident does not have to go to the hospital. Photo: Markus Pentikäinen

Like the name suggests, a mobile nurse goes where they are needed. Mobile nurses work from 15.00 to 21.00 on weekdays and between 8.00 and 21.00 on weekends and public holidays. Registered nurses work during office hours in their designated units on weekdays, and mobile nurses are tasked with helping practical nurses when the registered nurse is not on duty. 

According to nurse Ugbad Mahad Abdirisaag from the Hampurinkuja housing group, the mobile nurse service has made her daily work and the work of practical nurses working in her team easier.

The Hampurinkuja housing group is a 24-hour service housing unit for people with disabilities over the age of 18. The residents live in a home-like environment with no medical devices. The practical nurses call the mobile nurse if anything requiring the presence of a registered nurse occurs. 

Practical nurses have been able to reach the mobile nurse quickly and the residents have been able to avoid unnecessary ambulance trips to emergency services. The residents are also pleased with getting help quickly.

“The mobile nurse provides advice and instructions on when to call a doctor, if a resident’s health deteriorates. The mobile nurse also carries out procedures, such as wound care assessment and CRP tests, and helps with catheters, for example, to eliminate any extra trips to the hospital,” Abdirisaag says about the work of the mobile nurse in her unit.

The importance of the mobile nurse is also highlighted in situations where the nurse on duty would have to stop what they are doing without the mobile nurse service, if a resident has issues with their catheter, for example. In this event, the mobile nurse can come in and cover for the nurse, and the nurse can continue their visits.

“Information exchange with mobile nurses has run smoothly and I always receive extensive reports on shifts. The mobile nurse service has made my work easier, because I know that I have the support of a skilled nurse,” Abdirisaag concludes.