Article summary: Postacute Care Preparedness for COVID-19 Thinking Ahead (US)

Summary of an article by David C. Grabowski and Karen E. Joynt Maddox, published in JAMA, recommending policies to support preparedness for COVID-19 in the postacute care sector. Postacute care settings include rehabilitation and palliative services to which people are discharged following a stay in hospital. The article’s recommendations include:

  • All patients should be tested for COVID-19 when being discharged from hospital. Individuals with COVID-19 should only be discharged to facilities that have adequate isolating facilities.
  • Identification of centres that can be rapidly upskilled and equipped to specialize on the care of patients recovering from COVID-19 (“centres of excellence”)
  • Increasing capacity by, for example, retrofiting unused buildings
  • Treating people in their own homes where possible, using hospital-at-home-models
  • Staff need to be trained and equipped with personal protection equipment (PPE), and also tested regularly. Additional staff can be recruited to perform lower-skills tasks.
  • Facilities need access to phsysicians, perhaps through telemedicine
  • All postacute care staff should be provided with paid sick leave, to encourage staff who are sick to stay at home.
  • Provision of financial incentives to facilities to accept COVID-19 cases, adn also reimbursement of hospital-at-home models at parity with institutional hospital care.

Link to the original article:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763818?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=content-shareicons&utm_content=article_engagement&utm_medium=social&utm_term=032520#.XnuUdDMAcrt.twitter

Citation of original article:

Grabowski DC, Joynt Maddox KE. Postacute Care Preparedness for COVID-19: Thinking Ahead. JAMA. Published online March 25, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4686

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