"Concerns Over Bed Allocation Due to Increase in Confirmed Cases... Need to Improve Nighttime Medication Prescriptions for Home Treatment Patients"

Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital Home Treatment Management Team
9 Medical Staff Monitoring 120 Patients Daily
Hospitalization Required if Oxygen Saturation Below 94%

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Sojeong] "There is currently no major problem with hospital bed allocation if the condition of home treatment patients worsens, but there is concern that hospital beds will become insufficient as the number of patients increases."

Professor Lee Jaegap, head of the Home Treatment Management Team and an infectious disease specialist at Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, expressed concern, "I hope that hospital beds will be secured quickly according to the administrative order designating dedicated hospitals, so that there will be no shortage of inpatient beds."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare introduced the current status of home treatment management on the 18th at Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, a cooperative hospital for COVID-19 home treatment.

Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital was designated as a COVID-19 home treatment cooperative hospital in Yeongdeungpo-gu on the 18th of last month. The home treatment management team consists of nine medical staff, including four infectious disease specialists, one pediatric specialist, and four nurses.

Professor Lee explained, "Currently, four infectious disease specialists operate a 24-hour on-call system, and until 10 p.m., nurses stay in the space where the home treatment team is located. After 10 p.m., there is an emergency standby system where calls are answered, and if the patient's condition worsens, the on-duty doctor is contacted to check the patient." He added, "Most home treatment cases are mild without severe patients, so calls during nighttime are rare, but occasionally there are calls around 1 to 2 a.m. due to breathing difficulties."

Currently, home treatment is available for asymptomatic or mild confirmed patients under 70 years old without hospitalization indications, if they consent. Asymptomatic patients undergo home treatment for 10 days after confirmation, and mild cases for 10 days after symptoms appear.

The home treatment task force under local governments distributes home treatment kits containing oxygen saturation meters, thermometers, antipyretics, cold medicine, hand sanitizers, and so on. They also provide guidance on lifestyle rules, emergency contact networks, and how to install self-quarantine mobile apps.

Medical staff monitor patients' health twice daily at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., checking temperature, oxygen saturation, and other symptoms by phone. If requested, 24-hour non-face-to-face medical consultations are available, and prescriptions are issued if additional medication is needed.

The oxygen saturation meter included in the kit is worn on the finger, and if oxygen saturation falls below 94%, the patient is considered for hospitalization.

Professor Lee said, "Monitoring about 100 patients currently takes almost two hours. If an emergency call comes in the middle, a nurse who is not monitoring answers and responds."

However, there are often difficulties when urgent prescriptions are needed at night because pharmacies are closed.

Professor Lee pointed out, "Currently, only outpatient prescriptions are issued, so if issued during the day, the health center receives it by fax and the nearby pharmacy dispenses the medicine to deliver to the patient. But at night, pharmacies may be closed, and since the delivery team does not work at night, medicines may not be delivered." He added, "In cases where a patient has a persistent fever at night and urgently needs antipyretics, we have inquired about possible in-hospital prescriptions. There are some restrictions on issuing prescriptions, so we are consulting with Seoul City and the National Health Insurance Service about possible in-hospital prescription methods."

For home treatment patients, if medical staff judge the condition as severe based on monitoring, a dedicated ambulance is dispatched within 30 minutes. The criteria for severe condition are mainly three: oxygen saturation below 94%, difficulty breathing, and decreased consciousness.

According to the Infectious Disease Control Division of Seoul City, as of the 17th, the cumulative number of home treatment patients in Seoul is about 11,400. Among them, 46 patients were urgently transferred due to worsening conditions. Since it is a principle to prioritize hospital bed allocation for urgently transferred home treatment patients, they can be admitted to the hospital on the same day.

The home treatment management team expects difficulties in hospital bed allocation to increase as COVID-19 confirmed cases surge recently, especially in Seoul.

Professor Lee said, "The average number of patients managed daily is about 100, but since last week, the number of confirmed cases has increased to about 120, and it is expected to rise further. There is a high possibility of a shortage of inpatient beds in the future, so with the recent administrative order designating dedicated hospitals, hospital bed securing must be done quickly."

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