The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre pointed out in a statement yesterday that between December 20-26, the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre’s “medical outreach team” provided “outreach treatment” to service users of the city’s 37 residential care homes for senior citizens and rehabilitation homes for about 1,660 person-times plus telephone consultations and follow-up services for about 560 person-times.
According to the statement, the outreach team, led by a geriatrician and other types of specialists, provides 24-hour medical assessment and treatment services. When a COVID-19 infection case occurs in a care home, the statement added, staff members of the care home can call to consult the doctor on duty.
Depending on each patient’s conditions, the statement noted, the doctor will instruct the care home to send him or her to the hospital or to isolate them for treatment in situ. Afterward, the statement added, doctors will go to the respective care home to make a diagnosis, provide treatments and prescribe the medicines needed for the patient, so as to reduce the service users’ inconvenience of having to leave their care home for medical purposes.
This undated handout photo provided by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre yesterday shows the public hospital’s “medical outreach team” conducting a medical consultation at a retirement home.
