Outpatient and home care: an ally for doctors and health centres in patient treatment and rehabilitation

• During the pandemic, outpatient and home care became an ally for doctors and health centres in ensuring continuity of patients’ treatment and rehabilitation.

During the pandemic, fear of visiting health centres has led to greater preventable morbidity and mortality. This leads us to rethink the current care model, which focuses on disease and hospital care, challenging us to be innovative and implement models of telemedicine, primary care, urgent care centres and population health strategies.

“This kind of outpatient and home care and follow-up does not replace care in hospitals; rather, it complements and redirects it. In this way, we promote a referral and counter-referral system that strengthens the interconnectivity and continuity of care according to the patient’s complexity,” says Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, a family and community medicine specialist.

Continuity of treatment

Care for ulcers, wounds and burns, rehabilitation, nutritional support and intravenous therapy are some of the conditions for which primary care doctors refer patients to outpatient and home care.

Among the advantages of outpatient and home care, Joan Martínez, a wound care and healing specialist, points to cost-effectiveness for the health system, shorter waiting lists, fewer hospital-acquired infections, personalised care and treatment adherence, as well as constant communication with the primary care doctor about the patient’s progress.

Martínez, Director of Operations at Curatech, a centre specialising in home healthcare services, explains that to admit patients they require a medical order or prescription in which the doctor refers the patient with the relevant instructions for their care and follow-up.

To proceed with care, Curatech’s medical team assesses the case, agrees on the treatment plan and communicates with the primary care doctor to send both initial assessment and follow-up reports.

“Most of the people we see at Curatech come for outpatient antibiotic therapy or wound healing services, and we travel to wherever the patient prefers, whether their home, workplace or another setting,” highlights Martínez.

Martínez also explains that in home care, patients must responsibly follow the instructions given by their primary care doctor. “Patients play a significant role in making their recovery effective, which is why our locally and internationally endorsed protocols emphasise evidence-based medicine and a collaborative model between the primary care doctor, the treating health staff and patients.”

About Curatech

Curatech is a Dominican provider of specialised healthcare services at home or wherever is convenient for the patient, offering individualised care. It is a strategic partner of Best Option Healthcare, leaders in this model of service delivery in Puerto Rico, with 25 years of experience in healthcare.

It has expert staff, made up of highly trained doctors and nurses, who provide care as authorised by the patient’s primary specialist and health plan.

Services include: wound, burn and diabetic foot management, debridement, intravenous therapy, parenteral and enteral nutrition, ostomy management, general healthcare consultations, outpatient, home or in-centre care, sample collection and onychectomy (nail removal).