HRMS Helps in Covid-19 Treatment : Strange but True

 

HRMS Helps in Covid-19 Treatment : Strange but True

This is a case study based on an incident held in Brazil where HRMS has played a vital role in COVID 19 Treatments.

The crisis generated by the Coronavirus brought unprecedented impacts and challenges to the Brazilian health system. The growing increase in demand, concentrated in a short space of time, with no estimate of time or quantity, has made managing the situation a constant exercise in creating scenarios.

And it was in the wake of this creativity that HRMS adopted the Telemedicine system   whose objective is to assist patients in Covid 19 who are being treated at home, and the relatives of patients who are hospitalized. The objective is to monitor the symptoms and follow the evolution of the condition.

The team, composed of 13 doctors of different specialties, is divided into two groups of work that work from Sunday to Sunday. One group is in charge of monitoring patients and the other family members. With telemedicine it is possible to serve patients in isolation and those who have already undergone treatment, but still need attention.

Remote care, in addition to following the evolution of Covid 19, helps to reduce the contamination curve because it prevents these people from moving from their homes to the hospital, compromising their isolation. “As the disease is new, there are many questions and doubts that even cause anxiety,” explains coordinator of the Telemedicine system, Dr. Christina Fleury.

Considered a referral hospital in the State for the treatment of Coronavirus, the telemedicine service adds to the efforts of the HRMS team that takes care of its patients from the entrance until their complete recovery. “Our work goes beyond the walls of the Hospital,” explains doctor Rosana Leite de Melo, the institution's CEO.  

In his evaluation, telemedicine makes it possible to take patients in isolation and those who have already undergone treatment, but still needs medical guidance so that they can, at home, have continuous monitoring and evaluation until the end of treatment without the need to return to the hospital.

 

Service brings safety and comfort to patients

From the 8th of April, when the first Telemedicine group started   until this Thursday, 272 patients were discharged, 207 confirmed cases and 89 cases still being monitored. The support group for family members of people hospitalized with covid-19 attended 186 cases of discharge and currently 110 family members continue to receive telephone medical care. "Some people even ask us to keep calling them, even after discharge, such security provided by the team" says Dr. Christina.

In addition to patients with a positive diagnosis for Covid 19, but without the need for hospitalization, the first group also monitors all people who have undergone HRMS showing any symptoms of the disease and those who have more severe cases of flu syndrome. This monitoring is vital, as Covid 19 can evolve from day to day.

The importance of tracking via HRMS

"Here we also save lives," says one of the team's doctors, Dr. Virgílio Gonçalves de Souza Júnior. "Our role is to monitor in the early search for cases," he explains. It is important to clarify that when a family member is infected, everyone in the same household is at risk of contamination. That is why this tracking is necessary, which consists of searching for information. Calls are made to all patients and family members every 24 or 48 hours.

The doctor is keen to emphasize that a large part of the population neglects the severity of the disease and does not respect the rules of protection. “Isolation is our main weapon in the fight against Covid 19”, he points out. The concern increases especially when health professionals themselves are already getting sick. “It is necessary to have sensitivity and awareness”, he warns.

Often the patient just needs a friendly word to feel good. So says another member of the Telemedicine team, Dr. Leonardo Rodrigues Resende. But the story they hear on the other end of the line is not always positive. “There are sad cases of people who are hospitalized and cannot say goodbye to a family member who has died; mother and daughter who are hospitalized and only one of them is able to survive”, she says. Therefore, in the team, doctors often play the role of psychologists.

There are cases of entire families hospitalized with Covid 19, explains the coordinator of the service, Dr. Christiana. In these situations, the person at home is very fragile. Preserving the isolation of the patient at home is also not an easy task, according to her. “Some people cannot put food on the table unless they leave for work”, he explains.

It is important to clarify that the assistance provided by Telemedicine is exclusive to answer questions and monitor patients and family members. Doctors do not prescribe any medication. The function is to notice any signs of change in the health of these people. If they notice any complications in the picture, the protocol is to send the patient to the Emergency Room where they will be seen immediately. 

The growing demand for the telemedicine service led HRMS to decide to recruit four medical students to help the team. “Here we only have time to get in and we don't have time to go out,” says the coordinator, explaining that no one leaves before making all the calls of the day made to all corners of Mato Grosso do Sul.