Baptist Hospital Implements System To Monitor COVID-19 Patients From Their Own Home
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Have you or anyone you know been diagnosed with COVID-19 and wanted to be monitored from home? A monitoring system implemented by Baptist Hospital is already doing that.
They are keeping track of patients who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, but who are not sick enough to be hospitalized. Patients who are on the cusp of needing constant observation.
CBS4's Hank Tester got a closer look at what they are doing at Baptist Hospital.
"They are discharged with this from the emergency department and we monitor them from our transfer center at the 24/7 Telehealth Unit," Associate eICU/Telehealth Medical Director, Dr. Eduardo Martinez-Dubouchet said.
COVID-19 patients are provided with a device, as demonstrated by Dr. Yvonne Johnson.
"It fits on their wrist. A sensor goes around their fingertip. Connects with a smartphone. Put them in contact with the monitoring center. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen levels," said Johnson.
It has proven to be a good strategy to use technology to deal with COVID-19 and it frees up critical hospital beds.
"We can give you the technology of the hospital in the comfort of your home, in the care of your family."
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Leslee Gross, Assistant Vice President of Operations at Baptist Health South Florida has seen the success behind this bold strategy.
"To be able to send patients home, monitor, and speak with them has been terrific."
COVID-19 is unpredictable, as one day a patient is well, and the next day symptoms can pop up out of nowhere.
"If they are sitting on the fence, we would like to monitor for another day or two we are able to do that at home safely," said Johnson.
Doctors say they are seeing younger patients come in, who can handle the virus better than older patients, so they are good candidates for home monitoring.
