This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
With the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, healthcare systems around the world are facing unprecedented challenges. In Kenya, where the first case was diagnosed in March, the situation is no different. As hospitals struggle to cope with the rising number of cases, home-based care is emerging as a crucial strategy for managing the disease, particularly for patients with mild symptoms.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed an interim guidance for safe home care, which was published in June 2018. The document has been updated with the latest information and is intended to guide public health and infection prevention and control professionals, as well as healthcare managers and workers, when addressing home care issues for suspected COVID-19 patients and their contacts.
Home-based care can be considered for patients with only mild illness as long as they can be followed up and cared for by family members. However, several conditions must be met, including a trained healthcare worker assessing the residential setting to ensure it is suitable for providing care, and whether the patient and the family are capable of adhering to the precautions for home-care isolation.
While home-based care is more cost-effective compared to hospitals, it also ensures that people live as independently as possible at home, surrounded by loved ones. Involving the community in providing care and support, providing support to caregivers, addressing stigma and discrimination in families and communities, and providing care and support to children are all necessary components of a successful home-based care program.
Providing care for the sick is not for the faint-hearted, and caregivers may require support themselves. People living with life-threatening diseases, including COVID-19 patients, often face stigma and discrimination, which can result in judgmental attitudes that can reinforce feelings of self-blame and depression.
Prof Kiptoo, an immunologist and CEO of the Kenya Medical Training College, notes that involving community outreach workers, peer counsellors, and other lay health workers in home-based care activities, and in supporting caregivers, would be critical in managing the pandemic.
