scholarly journals Eligibility for home care of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients: challenges from a low resource setting in Central Kerala, South India

Author(s):  
Divyamol N. ◽  
Sreedevi C.

Background: As a large spectrum of COVID 19 disease is asymptomatic, there came a need for home based management of asymptomatic cases, which can ensure efficient utilisation of resources for care of severe cases. On 7th August 2020, Kerala government came up with advisory for home care of asymptomatic cases. The study was done to assess eligibility for home care among patients then admitted in COVID First Line Treatment Centres in Palakkad and to identify the challenges to aid in further planning and decision making about home care.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 133 laboratory confirmed COVID 19 cases admitted to CFLTCs during 08 August 2020 to 12 August 2020. Semi-structured questionnaire was administered over telephone, after getting oral informed consent from patients. Analysis was done using Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 20.Results: 28.31% of asymptomatic cases were eligible for home care. The challenges were lack of separate room with attached bathroom and ventilation (29%), absence of facility to separate vulnerable persons at home (18.5%), lack of healthy caretaker (15.9%) and being unaware about co-morbidity status (27%). Significant associations were found between socioeconomic status and availability of separate room with attached bathroom as well as separate facility to accommodate vulnerable persons.Conclusions: Major factors limiting eligibility for home care were lack of facility to self isolate and to separate vulnerable persons away from home. Both factors were common among patients from BPL families. 27.4% of asymptomatic patients were unaware of co-morbidity status. This reinforces importance of screening for non communicable diseases in the community.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogale Kassahun Desta ◽  
Nega Tezera Assimamaw ◽  
Tesfaye Demeke Ashenafi

Introduction. In Ethiopia, it is the second cause for clinical presentation among under five-year child population. Objective. The main aim of this study was to assess knowledge, practice, and associated factors of home-based management of diarrhea among caregivers of children attending the under-five clinic. Methods. Institution based quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out from March 1, 2016, to April 22, 2016. Results. Two hundred eight (56.2%) of them had good knowledge and one hundred thirty-nine (37.6%) of them had the good practice of home management of diarrhea, specifically, primary education (AOR: 5.384, 95% CI: 2.008, 14.438), secondary and above education (AOR: 11.769, 95% CI: 3.527, 39.275), daily laborer (AOR: 0.208, 95% CI: 0.054, 0.810), and no information about diarrhea (AOR: 0.139, 95% CI: 0.054, 0.354). Moreover, age range of 25–35 (AOR: 4.091, 95% CI: 1.741, 9.616) and 36–45 (AOR: 3.639, 95% CI: 1.155, 11.460), being single (AOR: 0.111, 95% CI: 0.013, 0.938), being divorced (AOR: 0.120, 95% CI: 0.024, 0.598), illiteracy (AOR: 0.052, 95% CI: 0.017, 0.518), primary education (AOR: 0.143, CI: 0.046, 0.440), and no information about diarrhea (AOR: 0.197, 95% CI: 0.057, 0.685) were significantly associated variables with the outcome variables in multivariate regression. Conclusion. Caregivers had slightly adequate knowledge but poor practice.


Author(s):  
Jinwook Bahk ◽  
Kyunghee Jung-Choi

This study evaluated the contribution of avoidable causes of death to gains in life expectancy between 1998 and 2017 in Korea. This is a multi-year, cross-sectional study using national data. Death certificate data from 1998 to 2017 were obtained from Statistics Korea. The difference in life expectancy between 1998 and 2017 by age and cause of death were decomposed using Arriaga’s method. Life expectancy rose 7.73 years over 20 years in Korea, which was largely (more than 50%) due to changes in avoidable causes of death. As age increased, the contribution to changes in life expectancy increased, and the gain in life expectancy due to avoidable causes also tended to increase. The major factors that drove that gain in life expectancy were avoidable causes such as cerebrovascular diseases and traffic accidents. The gain in life expectancy from preventable diseases was greater in men than in women. The results of this study indicate that active public health programs have been effective in improving life expectancy in Korea. Moreover, avoidable mortality could be further improved with good public health policy. Health policy aimed at reducing amenable and preventable deaths should be further implemented to promote population health.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Luísa Moreira dos Santos ◽  
Teresa Maria de Serpa Pinto Freitas do Amaral ◽  
Nuno Pedro Garcia Fernandes Bento Borges

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of undernutrition in older adults aged >75 years living in communities and to identify the main factors independently associated with undernutrition. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sample of family physicians' medical records of 86 older adults aged >75 years living in the community studied. Their nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment. RESULTS: A total of 10.5% of the elderly were undernourished and 41.9% were at undernutrition risk. According to the logistic regression multivariable model, the following characteristics: being widowed (OR=6.7; 95%CI=1.8-24.6); being institutionalized (OR=12.6; 95%CI=1.7-90.5); or having a negative self-perception of health (OR=15.0; 95%CI=3.3-69.1) were independently associated with a significant increase of undernutrition risk. CONCLUSION: The current study shows that undernutrition is highly prevalent in Portuguese older adults aged >75 years living in communities. The major factors independently associated with their undernutrition are being widowed and institutionalized and having negative self-perception of health. The results obtained show that undernutrition and its associated factors are very serious problems for older adults and a challenge in their health care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (10) ◽  
pp. 922-927
Author(s):  
Maria Aparecida Scottini ◽  
Rachel Duarte Moritz ◽  
José Eduardo de Siqueira

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the degree of cognition, functionality, presence of symptoms and medications prescribed for patients under palliative home care. METHOD: Descriptive, cross-sectional study where 55 patients under palliative home care were interviewed. Cognition was evaluated using the Mini-Mental state examination (MM), with patients being separated into two groups: with preserved cognitive ability (MM>24), or altered (MM <24). The functionality was verified by the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) and the patients were divided into two groups: PPS≤50 and PPS≥60. The symptoms presence was evaluated by ESAS (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System) being considered as mild (ESAS 1-3), moderate (ESAS 4-6) or severe (ESAS 7-10) symptoms. Medications prescribed to control the symptoms were registered. Statistical analysis used Student's t test (p <0.05). RESULTS: Most of the 55 patients were women (63.6%), 70.9% of these had MM> 24, 83.6% had PPS <50 and 78.2% presented chronic non-neoplastic degenerative disease. There was a significant relationship between PPS≤50 and MM≤24. Symptoms were present in 98% of patients. Asthenia was more frequently reported and was not treated in 67% of the cases. Severe pain was present in 27.3%: 46% without medication and 13% with medication, if necessary. Most patients with severe dyspnea used oxygen. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the analysed patients had their cognition preserved, presented low functionality and 98% reported the presence of symptoms. Severe pain was present in almost 1/3 of the patients without effective treatment. Re-evaluate palliative home care is suggested to optimize patient's quality of life.


2018 ◽  
Vol Volume 9 ◽  
pp. 147-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achamyelesh Gebretsadik ◽  
Akalewold Alemayehu ◽  
Million Teshome ◽  
Mekdes Mekonnen ◽  
Yusuf Haji

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