Home-based management of COVID-19: best practices adopted by states
Home-based care has emerged as an important pillar of pandemic management. Various home care best practices included in this document provided holistic support to patients and their families. Home-based care is a low-cost model and can reach many people at the same time with the help of digital tools such as telemedicine/call centres/apps etc. However, there could be some limitations if all services are not connected and integrated at all levels and if there are delays in referrals, transportation, and admissions. There is a risk of the spread of infection to family members if protocols are not followed properly. Clear standard operating procedures and triaging are therefore extremely critical for efficient home care. Hospitalization should be accessible at well-functioning referral facilities. The integrated command and facilitation centres should be flexible, adaptable, and resilient for use in COVID-19, and adaptable non-COVID-19 related services in a quiescent pandemic situation. Community engagement and management have contributed to the large-scale take-up of home-based care. Local efforts are essential for better case management and for reducing fear and stigma. Community preparedness can help in ensuring that no one is left behind. The practices on home-based care described in this compendium may be adopted, adapted, and replicated by the states/UTs for scale-up in respective contexts, building on their experiences.
