India-USA research team publishes evidence on avoiding oxygen, ventilator, hospitalizations and successfully treating Covid at home with Virtual Covid IP(VCIP).

TRIVANDRUM, KERALA, INDIA, August 8, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A group from Kerala, South India, along with researchers in USA and Oman has recently published original research on successfully treating Covid-19 abiding by the modern medicine practice recommendations. The model described as Virtual Covid In-Patient (VCIP) care, strictly follows evidence-based recommendations on evaluation and treatment of Covid-19, but the difference is that the patient is completely treated in their own houses, including with injectables, by themselves and their family members aided by a multi-disciplinary team of doctors and nurses via telemedicine.
The detailed account of protocol, methodology and the successful outcomes have been published in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, an Elsevier journal recently. In this protocol, those patients diagnosed with Covid-19, are provided with home monitoring devices.

The VCIP team consists of highly trained doctors, nurses, diabetes educators, dietitians, psychologists etc. The nurses via video consultations will be training the patients and the caretakers at home to use the devices themselves, especially pulse oximeter, thermometer, blood pressure apparatus, glucose meter wherever applicable. Additionally, in indicated subjects, training was given via telemedicine on the use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) devices such as Guardian Real-time, Freestyle Libre, Connected glucose meters etc. In this home-based interventional model, lab investigations are also carried out, as and when required. The samples for Covid special lab investigations were arranged at the desired frequency and were collected at the patient’s home itself.

In contrast to the conventional domiciliary care for Covid-19, in VCIP, corticosteroids, oral anticoagulants, injectable medications such as Low Molecular Weight Heparin, etc were given at the home itself by training the patients via WhatsApp video/ Zoom video consultations. This model is extremely cheap and economic, when compared to hospitalization and can be remotely managed with a small team of experts who can take care of hundreds of patients.
The VCIP model has been executed and delivered from Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centre (JDC), in Kerala under the leadership of Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, Chairman and Managing Director, JDC.

Out of 220 patients who availed the VCIP facility, all 220 of them recovered. However, 2 hospitalizations were there, one, due to the impending fear of death and the other one, due to intolerance to oral corticosteroids. “We acknowledge here that patients who cannot tolerate oral steroids is a contraindication to be managed in VCIP”, said Dr. Kesavadev. “At Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centre since September 2020, we have been practicing the Virtual Covid IP care for our patients with diabetes, already enrolled in our hospital, with a 99.5% success rate. It is a fact that a smaller percentage, less than 1% require hospitalization. It is very critical to identify these patients on time and refer them to the hospital.”, he added.
However, this model can be executed only in those patients who are having sufficient literacy and motivation, to monitor all the essential 6 vital parameters in their houses such as pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature, blood glucose and blood oxygen levels.

Covid-19 has already resulted in the death of 43 lakhs around the globe and out of which around 4 lakh is from India. The healthcare authorities across the world are still desperate with overwhelming hospitals, lack of trained doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, shortage of crucial supplies such as ventilators and oxygen. With Covid 19 similar pandemics anticipated in the near future, the VCIP care model may be considered for successful treatment and avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations.

VCIP is a model which has been tested in a small population and found to be extremely successful, with intervention at home. In addition to monitoring, administering approved therapies before the blood oxygen levels fall to critically low levels has resulted in no patients requiring oxygen or hospitalization.
The experts involved in the conceptualization and execution of the treatment involve Dr. Hari PN, Wisconsin, USA, Dr. Rebecca Vitale, Boston, USA, Dr.A.V.Raveendran, Sultanate of Oman along with other co-authors comprising of doctors, nurses, dietitians etc.
The study was presented at the Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes ATTD, Virtual (Paris) 2021 in June and also has been submitted to the Hon. Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Kerala for the evaluation of the feasibility of the concept and its emergency implementation to improve the access to health care during a pandemic like Covid.

Heroic interventions could be justified when millions are lost in a pandemic.
VCIP could be considered by health authorities around the globe for successfully saving the lives of Covid affected individuals.

Jothydev Kesavadev
Jothydev's Diabetes Research Center
+91 94962 46200
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Virtual Covid IP Care