Home Se-Cure: A Home Care Service for Cancer Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Cancer patients are exposed to a greater risk of COVID-19 infection, resulting in treatment delays and unnecessary hospitalizations. International authorities have suggested reducing visits to hospitals and guarantee continuity of care. We developed a home care project called Home Se-Cure (HSC) to guarantee the continuity of oral, intramuscular, and subcutaneous cancer therapy during COVID-19. The Home Se-Cure project included cancer patients living near Galliera Hospital. Patients received home visits by registered nurses (RNs), whoperformed blood tests and delivered cancer therapies. Patients were instructed to take drugs after blood test results and therapy confirmation by oncologists. Sixty-six patients decided to participate and 38 declined the service. A customer satisfaction questionnaire was administered to a subgroup of patients participating in the project. The most prevalent disease in the HSC group was prostate cancer. The mean age of the patients in HSC was 78.4 years and 68.9 in the decliner group. The majority of the HSC participants appreciated the project because they could stay at home (71%) and reduce the risk of COVID-19 contagion (67.7%). Compared to decliners, the time the study group saved was 2033 hours. HSC guaranteed the continuity of care during the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing the number of patients in the hospital and avoiding crowds in the waiting room.

Haematological patients' perception of home transfusions: Effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…During the pandemic, patients' opinions were mostly ‘pro hospital’, with less patients feeling that hospital transfusions impaired their QOL and more patients expressing fear of receiving home transfusions. These results were somewhat unexpected, especially when considering reports on the significant anxiety expressed by cancer patients during the pandemic from acquiring COVID‐19, which could result in treatment interruptions [11–13], as well as patients' satisfaction with new healthcare modalities such as telehealth and hospitals at home [14–16].…”

Impact of COVID-19 on emergency department visits among palliative home care recipients: a retrospective population-based cohort study in the Piedmont region, Italy

“… 10 The third view is the risk of health care workers being infected, 10 whereas the fourth view is protecting the caregiver’s health, whose role was pivotal during the COVID-19 pandemic and whose contagion may limit the capacity to care for their patients. 30 In this context, ensuring continuity and quality of home care for patients, and reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and avoidable ED visits during a pandemic were essential and challenging aspects of health management. A common response by health care policies to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the digitalization of care via increased technological provisions and skill development by health care professionals, recipients, and their caregivers.…”