Title
Managing Post-Stroke Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Tertiary Care Level Hospital in Peru
Date Issued
01 April 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
W.B. Saunders
Abstract
Objectives: To understand the hospital-to-outpatient care transition and how the discharge process of stroke patients is managed; and to identify potential opportunities to improve these processes, while contrasting pre- and during COVID-19 experiences in Peru. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted between February and March 2021 consisting of in-depth interviews of patients with stroke, their caregivers and healthcare personnel regarding stroke care at a national tertiary referral center for stroke care in Lima, Peru. We explored the following phases of the patients’ journeys: pre-hospitalization, emergency room, hospitalization, discharge process and post-discharge. For each phase, we explored experiences, feelings and expectations using thematic analysis. Results: We conducted a total of 11 interviews with patients or caregivers and 7 with health care personnel and found disruption in the continuity of care for patients with stroke. Mainly, caregivers and patients referred to problems related to communication with healthcare personnel and an absence of training to provide post-discharge care at home. Potential solutions included increasing human resources and caregiver participation in care, implementation of electronic healthcare records, improving the referral system and reinforcing telemedicine services. Conclusion: The continuity of care of patients with stroke was negatively affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. In LMICs, the impact was likely greater due to the already weak and fragmented healthcare systems. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to improve post-stroke care services, and address patients’ experiences and feelings by developing solutions in a participatory manner.
Volume
31
Issue
4
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Epidemiología
Políticas de salud, Servicios de salud
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85123860584
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases
ISSN of the container
10523057
Sponsor(s)
This study was funded by the Fogarty International Center (NIH Research Training Grant D43:TW009345) through the Northern Pacific Global Health Research Fellows Training Consortium.
We would like to acknowledge the patients and caregivers who participated in the study and the healthcare personnel from the INCN who shared their experiences and provided feedback. Additionally, we would like to thank Julia Dettinger and Hueming Liu for proving input in the protocol, Carola Orrego for proving insight on how to conduct patient journeys, Francisco Diez-Canseco for reviewing the interview guides, and Frances Knight for proof-reading the article and providing suggestions to improve it.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus