AUTHOR=Amatya Rakchya , Mishra Kritika , Karki Kshitij , Puri Isha , Gautam Archita , Thapa Sweta , Katwal Urmila , Veer Siddhesh , Zervos John , Kaljee Linda , Prentiss Tyler , Zenlea Kate , Maki Gina , Rayamajhi Pawan Jung , Khanal Narendra K. , Thapa Pomawati , Upadhyaya Madan Kumar , Bajracharya Deepak 

TITLE=Post-implementation Review of the Himalaya Home Care Project for Home Isolated COVID-19 Patients in Nepal

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.891611

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.891611

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in a pandemic that has significantly impacted healthcare systems at a global level. Health care facilities in Nepal, as in other low- and middle-income countries, have limited resources for the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients. Only critical cases are admitted to the hospital resulting in most patients in home isolation. Himalaya Home Care (HHC) was initiated to monitor and provide counseling to home isolated COVID-19 patients for disease prevention, control, and treatment. Counselors included one physician and four nurses. Data from 5823 and 3988 patients were entered in initial and follow-up forms on a REDCap database. The HHC counselors consulted on symptom management and information on home isolation during initial calls. The majority of patients who received counseling were satisfied. At follow-up, 98.4% of respondents reported that HHC prevented hospitalization, 76.5% reported they were able to manage their symptoms at home, and 69.5% reported that counseling helped to limit the spread of COVID-19 in their household. Telehealth can be an essential strategy for providing services while keeping patients and health providers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.