RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Experiences, Challenges, and Lessons Learned During Implementation of a Remote Monitoring Program for Home-Isolated COVID-19 Patients in Chennai, India
JF Global Health: Science and Practice
JO GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT
FD Johns Hopkins University- Global Health. Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs
SP e2100458
DO 10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00458
VO 11
IS 1
A1 Parasuraman Ganeshkumar
A1 Kumaravel Ilangovan
A1 M. Jagadeesan
A1 Madhusudhan Reddy
A1 Fermi P. Vidhya
A1 Vignesh Vairamani
A1 Hemalatha Masanam Sriramulu
A1 S. Banumathi
A1 Prakash Govindasamy
A1 Prabhdeep Kaur
YR 2023
UL http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/11/1/e2100458.abstract
AB Key FindingsThe stress of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system in Chennai, India, necessitated the development of a remote monitoring program for home-isolated patients.Home-isolation care for COVID-19 patients warranted suitable home conditions, standardized data collection mechanisms, robust systems and processes for early identification of clinical deterioration, and prompt referral to facility-based care.Key ImplicationThe processes we describe can be adapted and contextualized for use in other limited-resource settings to provide clinical care and social support for home-isolated COVID-19 patients.During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the majority of the identified COVID-19 patients in Chennai, a southern metropolitan city of India, presented as asymptomatic or with mild clinical illness. Providing facility-based care for these patients was not feasible in an overburdened health system. Thus, providing home-based clinical care for patients who were asymptomatic or with mild clinical illnesses was a viable solution. Because of the imminent possibility of worsening clinical conditions in home-isolated COVID-19 patients, continuous monitoring for red flag signs was essential. With growing evidence of the effectiveness of remote monitoring of patients, the Greater Chennai Corporation in partnership with the National Institute of Epidemiology conceptualized and implemented a remote monitoring program for home-isolated COVID-19 patients. The key steps used to develop the program were to (1) decentralize triage systems and establish a home-isolation protocol, (2) develop a remote monitoring platform and remote health care workforce, and (3) onboard patients and conduct remote hybrid monitoring. In this article, we share the pragmatic solutions, critical components of the systems and processes, lessons, and experiences in implementing a remote monitoring program for home-isolated COVID-19 patients in a large metropolitan setting.