As most hospitals were busy battling a surge of Covid-19 cases, people suffering from other diseases seldom visited hospitals for fear of contracting the infection. That is when Zydus Hospitals from Ahmedabad in Gujarat decided to remain a non-Covid entity. During the pandemic, the hospital catered to thousands of patients who were in need of life-saving treatment for chronic conditions including heart diseases, kidney diseases, liver disorders, cancer, neurological disorders and gastrointestinal disorders. Critical surgeries like liver and kidney transplants, too, were done with support from government officials. The hospital set up isolation chambers for managing patients with Covid-like symptoms until they could be transferred to a dedicated Covid-19 facility. A few of its focal initiatives include:
Knee replacement in a day: Total knee replacement surgery usually involves a hospital stay of four to five days. But at Zydus Hospitals, it takes not more than 24 hours—from admission to discharge. A shorter stay in the hospital reduces the chances of cross infection. Zydus Hospitals has designed a robust patient-centric programme for both total and partial knee replacement surgeries. After the patient consents for the surgery, the necessary pre-operative modalities are completed and a team of physiotherapists attend to the patient. They study the patient’s muscle strength, gait and tissue balancing. Physiotherapy regime is prescribed based on a patient’s individual requirement. The patient is able to move the very same day of the surgery. Post discharge, the patient’s follow-up care and guided physiotherapy is remotely managed through telemedicine.
Day-care gastro surgeries: The hospital offered day-care gastrointestinal surgeries like lap cholecystectomy (laparoscopic gall bladder removal), lap appendectomy and lap mesh-hernioplasty for patients who did not want to spend much time in the hospital. Usually, patients would be admitted by 7am on the day of the surgery and be discharged by 4:30pm. A detailed list of do’s and don’ts and a personalised dietary plan are provided to each patient before discharge. Patients are monitored via telemedicine while they recuperate at home.
Telemedicine and remote access consultation and evaluation (RACE): Zydus Hospitals initiated its homegrown telemedicine system within a couple of weeks of the pandemic. Zydus Enterprise Telemedicine Solution is a web- as well as application-based solution that is platform-independent. The main aim was to stay connected to patients who needed prescription refills. The hospital serves patients from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, too, and it was essential to provide them access to doctors during lockdown. The doctor can consult from dedicated teleconsultation stations or from home or while on the move. A prescription along with the next follow-up date is generated and patients are also given the option of choosing doorstep delivery of medicines.
RACE is another extension of telemedicine in the intensive care area. It is used for consultation with specialists who are unable to visit the hospital owing to various reasons. The system enables doctors to see patients in the ICU, with access to their medical records and live vitals.