Home isolation and online support strategies to mild COVID-19 epidemic
waves in Thailand: preparing for the next
Abstract
Background: Thailand’s fourth and fifth waves of coronavirus
disease 19 (COVID-19) started in July and December 2021, respectively,
and greatly overloaded the nation’s public health system. The massive
imbalance between health resources and patient demand for services was
one of the most significant challenges hampering the country’s response
to the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital-based facilities were
overwhelmed with an exponential rise in new patient numbers, with a
rapidly growing backlog of patients with delayed care or even acceptance
within the healthcare system. In response, “outpatient self-isolation”
(SI), “home-based isolation” (HI), and “community-based isolation”
(CI) strategies were adopted to stabilize COVID-19 cases with mild to
moderate symptoms. We present the lessons learned from the system
management of HI by drawing on the experiences gained at a university
hospital that provided patient-to-professional remote support during the
pandemic. The vast majority of patients were assigned to HI immediately
after being diagnosed with COVID-19. This system enabled remote
consultation, needed medications, and survival-kit supplies to be
initiated and delivered to patients’ homes. Conclusion: Our
investigation indicates that the HI teleconsultation system was a
productive approach to COVID-19 management. It allowed a prompt response
to patients’ needs and provided timely access to medical support,
especially for patients with mild to moderate symptoms.