Positive care beyond hospital walls
More than 1000 Victorian’s were being supported by The Alfred’s COVID-19 Positive Community Pathways program last month – part of the coordinated effort to provide oversight, care and support for those quarantining at home.
The program aids those who are not yet sick enough for a hospital bed but need around the-clock support because of their age, vaccination status or medical history present a moderate risk.
COVID-19 pathways physician Richard Coates said daily check-ins and monitoring aside, the program extends beyond medical care – linking patients with other support services to keep them physically, emotionally and mentally well throughout their quarantine.
“The patients can be anyone from young single healthy people or multigenerational families, through to single mothers fleeing family violence with young children,” Dr Coates said.
“The needs of each of those people are really dramatically different.
"It's important we monitor people carefully because we've certainly had cases where we've spoken to people in the evening and had no breathlessness at all, and had a deterioration that required an intensive care admission within 24 hours.”
One patient, 55-year-old Jacqui, was sent a thermometer and a pulse oximeter so she could report back daily with her symptoms and measurements.
Shortly after, the machine detected she was deteriorating quickly. Her vital signs were double-checked by a doctor over an urgent Telehealth call late that night and an ambulance was then called to bring her to hospital.
"If it wasn't for them keeping an eye on me, I probably wouldn't have gone to hospital. I had a cough, but I didn't have a temperature. I didn't feel that bad," she said.
"When I got to hospital I got really sick and I needed the oxygen tubes in my nose."
Jacqui has since gone on to make a full recovery.
