Health care Post COVID-19
From the beginning of the pandemic, health care workers have majorly contributed their support and shown unity to fight covid-19. The attacks on health care have majorly been reported during covid-19. It has faced many consequences regarding health facilities, medical transport, patients as well as health care workers and their families.
Indian hospitals have faced problems regarding exceeding numbers of patients and also staff infected. To counter the danger of infection, hospitals took some immediate steps. Protection and precautionary measures were immediately enforced to screen all patients, visitors, and staff; use of masks and PPE; comprehensive supply of hand sanitizers at all points and social distances inside the premises; thorough and regular cleaning of all exposed surfaces and equipment; special housekeeping, sanitation, food services, CSSD, bio-medical waste management, etc.
Isolation wards were created in the existing infrastructure to keep covid-19 patients. Separate areas were developed for triage and swab collection, and for clinical staff directly involved. Purchase cost increased because of the shortage of supply of medicines and equipment. Only emergency and covid-19 patients were allowed to visit the hospital.
Manpower in healthcare had been affected by a huge loss because of lockdown as well as staff getting infected. There are a few learning’s that the COVID-19 made the healthcare industry aware of. They have undergone some changes even in their work environment. All staff practices social distancing at work, communicating through phone calls, instant messaging, call conferencing, and emails. Reduced manpower has forced hospitals to concentrate on multitasking and to explore technological solutions that enhance productivity and enable workers to work safely. Earlier, for specific cases, such as surgical teams before surgery, only particular clinical teams can use masks, PPE, and hand sanitizers. Today, all hospital personnel have to wear masks when operating, and also while traveling home, and follow infection and safety protocols.
Virtual consultation has given various digital advantages and rising internet access these days have started improvements in the standards of healthcare. Whether it’s symptoms or patient support, telephone consultation or video consultation may be considered by the healthcare industry. In doing so, the population in the healthcare sector could be reduced, and insurance could be made more available for patients. After the online consultation, doctors will determine if a patient needs to undergo a physical checkup or just if medication could cure.
In this network, virtual treatment and guidance play a critical role. During the crisis, we have already seen how remotely guided ICUs allow hospitals to scale up care by taking the burden off front-line workers. Soon, a single digital platform will link this tele-ICU within bigger hospitals to mobile facilities and community-based hubs. Centralized care management center staff can help patient flow and remotely control resources to eliminate bottlenecks in the network and provide 24/7 service in the most required area.
These instant COVID-19 rapid antibody test kits help examine whether a person has formed antibodies to combat SARS-CoV-2, which means whether a person has been exposed to or has Covid-19 in his or her bloodstream. It takes about 25–30 minutes to get the results of these studies. If the result is positive, people must be quarantined and subjected to RT-PCR tests, even if they are asymptomatic.
Equipment for medication. For some essential commodities, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown have affected the industry as a whole. However, in times of emergency, the demand for equipment and consumables is required. India will look forward to exporting goods to various countries where the cost of the equipment and the quality of the products are reasonable.
Big data analytics will assist physicians and hospitals alike in collecting useful information about the pandemic and creating more efficient methods of treatment. Technology can assist in that, but to allow data collection, this will entail changing the way hospitals work. It will all be automated and digitized, which once again eliminates the need for human resources and allows computer work more control. Not only would it be successful, but it would also include a step-by-step, impartial and concise workflow.
Conversations are driven by AI(Artificial intelligence). To have AI-powered interactions with patients, a combination of artificial intelligence and human understanding along with voice technology will help. This way, a lot of patients’ questions and needs can be quickly and efficiently handled. The first line of contact will be made possible between the healthcare sector and patients. This helps to concentrate on healthcare and to have more time to analyze and understand difficult cases. Gamification and AI can play a greater role in helping us figure out these behavioral aspects of health soon. One way we might do this is by encouraging our home’s connected devices to communicate in a way that allows them to build a holistic profile of us over time, adding more experiential parts of our lives. A smart mirror, toothbrush, sleep monitor, and a range of associated weight scales may be able to recognize or even detect early signs of COVID-19 or diabetes.
This pandemic has made us all more health-conscious than we’ve ever been before. We must all make an effort to maintain our health.
