Home visits by medical professionals

[OneGrassRoot]

Last edited Sat Mar 7, 2020, 12:04 PM - Edit history (1)

I keep seeing articles about how we simply don't have enough capacity in our hospitals for the potential number of patients being treated -- and length of a typical hospital stay required -- for COVID-19.

I wonder if this will prompt more at-home visits for that quarantined needing more basic medical care like IV fluids and close monitoring?

I'm really interested in how this threat may help shift our system to one that is much more humane and makes more sense as far as delivery and cost.

Have you seen any talk of training or organizing healthcare workers doing home visits should this take off as expected?

ETA the obvious: The world desperately needs more trained, professional caregivers. That's where the most job growth lies.

[Tanuki]

1. Lack of infection control in a home vs. hospital would seem much more dangerous

to clinicians, patients, and all of their collateral contacts. Also seems an inefficient way of delivering care, given travel time of the clinician to, from, and between homes.

[OneGrassRoot]

2. Gotcha. Thanks. n/t

[beachbumbob]

3. if this becomes a fullscale pandemic, the US and World lack enough healthcare workers to

take care of what the hospitals will be hit with non-th- less finding additional workers for at-home visits. We can only hope for the best at this point, not to sound pessimistic but we can have all the plans on pandemics and huge natural disasters, its another to have people capable of dealing with them.

Best thing to do is research what you can do and get prepared.

[OneGrassRoot]

6. True that. Thanks. n/t

[Leghorn21]

4. Unfortunately, though this is a great idea, bob speaks the truth: we simply don't have enough

health workers to pull this off...(and many of them, working on the front lines, will be pushed to their limit or may become ill themselves -)

It sure sounds good, though, Root! And maybe local people could form a cadre of helpers who could at least run errands for quarantined people...China has been home-delivering food to millions of people, I think using members of the People’s Party - and maybe local citizens could organize along the same lines - ?

[OneGrassRoot]

7. That's a great idea! n/t

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. My wife receives visits from home health at least twice a week

when she is not in the hospital getting chemo for Stage 4 Lymphoma. I told her last nite that from now on, she needs to wear a mask while the nurse is here. The nurse always wears gloves and I wish they would require them to also wear a mask. I may make that request the next time she is here. Wifey has NO immunity so this is very serious to us.

[OneGrassRoot]

8. I can only imagine...

I'm very sorry to hear about your wife; this must be a nightmare on top of a nightmare.

I just finished chemo myself, so my system is compromised, which is what made me think about this. I dread going to doctors' offices if I'm not actually sick, because the likelihood of getting sick has increased.

Hopefully the nurses will start to wear masks -- or maybe your wife can while the nurse is there?

[Ferrets are Cool]

12. Thank you for your thoughts...Get well soon yourself

[beachbumbob]

11. thats under normal workload now multiply x1000 and think if

any will get in home care that matters?

[Bayard]

9. I'm thinking more of this....

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212986405

[OneGrassRoot]

10. VERY interesting!

I have Star Trek and the tricorder in mind quite often.

Ha! Speaking of which... https://www.medicaleconomics.com/med-ec-blog/star-trek-tricorder-becomes-reality-and-other-healthcare-innovations

But, you're right; I bet some of the care can be done via apps and other remote methods!