Pioneering tertiary care hospital’s program brings Covid-19 management to the safety of patient’s home using technology
Chennai, 20th July 2020: As the pandemic grows and number of cases swells in major metros, the healthcare system is stretched to its limits. With more and more people getting infected and the virus spreading exponentially, our country’s hospital infrastructure is been challenged. Keeping this in view and based on the fact that 70-80% of people afflicted with coronavirus have no or mild symptoms, Gleneagles Global Hospitals & Continental Hospitals have designed Covid- 19 Home Care Services for patients who do not require hospitalization.
Through this comprehensive program designed by top experts in infectious disease management and intensive care, the patient can be monitored through an online portal and any worsening of symptoms can be identified and attended to at the earliest. This majority of patients, who do not have severe symptoms, only need to isolate themselves at home and monitor symptoms- ensuring that they do not spread the disease.
In case, a patient is having symptoms or has been diagnosed with Covid-19, they can reach the hospital where they will undergo a “Risk Assessment” to evaluate their condition and judge severity of symptoms. This is an essential assessment as it highlights whether a patient is fit for Home Care or requires hospitalization. If the patient does not require hospitalization, they enrol for the program and are given access to a portal where they can update their daily vitals like temperature, SPO2, pulse rate etc. These are monitored by a fully trained designated nurse and a doctor on the daily basis, to ensure that the patient is healthy and following the program. Every alternative day these doctors do consultation via VideoConsult platform and nurses do Telecall every day with their patients to keep track over their health condition. During these calls, the patient can discuss their condition and update on any new developments.
“Since most of the patients with Covid- 19 do not require hospitalization, our team of doctors and nurses can manage these patients from the safety of their home. As long as the patients are compliant and following all the basic instructions, they can recover within a period of 14 days and become symptom- free again. The combination of initial risk assessment, daily follow ups and a clear manual on do’s and don’ts for the patient and the caregiver makes this program extremely robust and comprehensive” said Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, Chairperson, Infection Control Advisory Board- Group, Gleneagles Global Hospitals & Program Director.
The key feature of this program is an educational video and manual on do’s and don’ts for the patient and the caregiver- for them to better understand their responsibilities and be fully compliant to the program. The caregiver’s responsibility is probably the highest, both towards the patient and caring for them and also towards themselves- maintaining optimal hygiene and ensuring that they do not transfer the disease to themselves and others.
Citing the current scenario and how healthcare is dealing with it, Shriram Vijayakumar, Chief Operating Officer, India Operations Division, Parkway Pantai which is the parent company of Gleneagles Global Hospitals & Continental Hospitals said “Being a major player in Indian healthcare with a legacy of many years, we feel it is our responsibility to care for patients suffering from this disease in these critical times. This program will ensure that all patients get the highest quality of treatment as we utilize the strength of technology to monitor the patient daily, just like we would in a hospital setting. Thus, in the safety of their home, the patients get access to the top-of-the-line quality healthcare that we offer.”
The Covid-19 Home Care Services are available for all patients with minor symptoms and those who are undergoing home isolation. On enrolling for the program, the patient also receives a Home Monitoring Kit, which has been assembled by the hospital for patient convenience, consisting of a digital thermometer, pulse oximeter, gloves, hand sanitizer, masks and recording sheet. Designed by India’s top medical experts in the field and powered by digital technology and daily monitoring, this program is exactly what is needed for a majority of patients diagnosed with Covid-19.
About Gleneagles Global Hospitals Group:
Gleneagles Global Hospitals operates a chain of multi-super speciality hospitals in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Mumbai with over 2,000 beds offering state-of the-art, world-class medical facilities. A pioneer in kidney, liver, heart and lung transplants, the brand is the most preferred hospital group for multi-organ transplants in the Asia region.
The parent entity of Gleneagles Global Hospitals is IHH Healthcare, a leading premium integrated healthcare provider with a network of 84 hospitals and more than 16,000 licensed beds. It is one of the largest healthcare groups in the world by market capitalisation and is listed in the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia and Main Board of SGX-ST. IHH is a leading player in the home markets of Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and India, and in their key growth markets of China and Hong Kong.