Bearing witness to a pandemic BUPA | SANITAS
Empathy prevention and care
The strange thing about going into a home where there are patients recovering from Covid is that usually you are looking after the medical side, but here it is all about education. When we take on a patient, we fill in a form, making sure there is always a family member responsible, or a guardian, but that the whole family is present. We tell them how home hospital works and we inform them all together so that they know what to do: What are the alarm signals? When should we notify? When to go to a&e, etc. For each entry we take the name of the family member responsible and we give them a mobile number that is active 24-hours a day. Covid mainly affects patients’ respiratory system. The second, I would say, is motor-related. They lose a lot of their movement, especially older adults. The third is a difficulty 130
SANTIAGO — CHILE
juan pablo vásquez Nurse Clinical Service
in swallowing, which happens to patients who spent a long time on a mechanical ventilator. They can’t feed themselves and have to use a tube for a long time, some even using a gastrostomy tube. Those are people who will have to do rehabilitation with specialists. I remember one patient on a ventilator who was transferred to hospital at home. When we got to her home in the ambulance, the family didn’t want to take her in. They begged me to take her back to the hospital, even though we had told them we were coming. They had got a room ready, but they were really afraid. Finally, after talking to them for a long time, they felt comfortable enough for her to be cared for at home. Those are things you don’t expect to happen. At my house, we have always been really worried, especially about my partner. I also got Covid and spent a couple of weeks in quarantine, but luckily I didn’t get too ill. As healthcare professionals, we have had to learn to live with the rules and safety measures in order to protect those closest to us. We have got used to it. I think the best way to protect yourself is always information and prevention. We all need to respect the rules and precautions and show respect and empathy for others. �
131
