Yangcheon-gu Non-contact Home Health Care Service 'Popular'

Community Visiting Nurses Propose Health Management Alternatives for Seniors and Vulnerable Groups via Video Calls, Including Focused Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Monitoring, and Develop In-House Manuals for Intensive Care Processes

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Talking face-to-face feels no different from meeting in person. There’s no risk of COVID-19 infection, and we can talk with peace of mind, so I think we see each other more often than before.”

Mr. Baek, an elderly resident of Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu, recently shared his impression after receiving health consultation and management through video calls with a visiting nurse, saying that thanks to this, he was able to experience video calls and feel like living in a new era.

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) announced that since last October, it has been promoting a non-face-to-face health management project suitable for the post-COVID-19 era, including remote health management via video calls and intensive management of blood sugar and blood pressure.

The visiting health management project involves visiting nurses assigned to 18 community service centers who visit the homes of individuals needing health consultation and management, providing counseling on chronic disease management, nutrition, exercise, and more tailored to the elderly. Currently, 31 visiting nurses in Yangcheon-gu are responsible for the health management of about 7,000 elderly and vulnerable groups.

This year, the number of visits significantly decreased due to COVID-19. Compared to 14,064 visits as of August 2019, the number dropped to 4,521 in August 2020, a 32% decrease. Meanwhile, telephone consultations increased by 675% (6 times), accounting for 77% of all consultations.

Accordingly, the district purchased mobile phones for video calls, blood pressure monitors, and blood sugar test kits for visiting nurses to establish a foundation for non-face-to-face health management.

Additionally, they developed an in-house manual for intensive management work processes and planned an effective non-contact health management project.

First, 130 intensive management subjects were selected from existing clients who had difficulty controlling blood pressure and blood sugar and required health management and lifestyle improvement. Then, visiting nurses visited the elderly’s homes, provided blood pressure monitors and blood sugar test kits, and educated them to self-test and record their results.

They record their measurements and use these records to check their health and receive counseling weekly through video calls with their assigned visiting nurse.

This non-face-to-face visiting health management started last October and is scheduled to run as an 8-week pilot program until December. Next year, the project plans to expand by identifying additional management subjects.

A visiting nurse from Mok 1-dong said, “Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many elderly people were reluctant to have visits, but meeting through video calls reassures both sides. Above all, I feel rewarded when the elderly greet me with bright faces.”

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, “In preparation for the post-COVID-19 era, the visiting health management project needs to change accordingly, which is why we initiated this project. For those who can be managed remotely, we will use video calls, and for those who have difficulty moving or have hearing problems and require face-to-face management, we will visit them directly to ensure a visiting health management project without blind spots.”

For inquiries about this project, contact the Yangcheon-gu Public Health Center’s Community Health Division or each community service center.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.