Hospital-at-Home to Support COVID-19 Surge —Time to Bring Down the Walls?

Written By Shantanu Nundy

JAMA Health Forum, May 1 2020

by Shantanu Nundy and Kavita K Patel

As the world grapples with accelerating cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), experts have called for a surge in hospital capacity to provide acute care for individuals with pneumonia and other serious complications. Current policy solutions aim to eliminate barriers for hospitals to hire additional staff or to repurpose or expand bed capacity. One idea that has not been widely explored is hospital-at-home programs. The concept of a hospital stay in the home has been tested and proven to be effective in a wide variety of settings and clinical conditions. We propose expanding access to hospital-at-home programs as part of the COVID-19 response.

 
Shantanu Nundy
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We need smart solutions to mitigate the coronavirus’s impact. Let home be where the hospital is.