The recent advancements and innovations made in the medical industry have improved treatment outcomes and patient experience to a great extent. In addition to medical advancements, the industry has also explored alternative care delivery models to make healthcare more accessible. As a result, today healthcare is delivered at home.
 
But terminologies like critical care, intensive care, emergency care, follow up care, etc. can be confusing and at times misleading as well.
 

Through this blog, we are making an attempt to address the questions that our patients or their kin frequently ask us. This is a list that we have collected from the interactions that we have had over the past 5 years. If there is anything specific that you would like to know, please write to us at [email protected] and we would be happy to engage.
 

What is meant by critical care?

 
A lot of our patients come across the term critical care, but are not really sure of what it means. Simply put, critical care is the type of medical care that is provided to a patient battling life threatening or debilitating illness. This type of care requires a multifaceted team of experienced specialists, doctors, nurses, etc. to work in a collaborative manner.
 
Usually, this type of care is delivered at hospitals. But agencies like us can create a similar collaborative care set-up at home for patients depending on their condition and interventions needed. In fact, we include critical care under the larger umbrella of specialty care.
 

How is critical care different from emergency care?

 
Emergency care is usually needed in a state of active emergency where the patient experiences a risk of fatality. However, critical care extends beyond this state of active emergency. A patient can receive critical care for a longer period of time to aid them in their battle against their illness.
 

What is specialty care and how is it different from critical care?

 
Specialty care is an advanced level of medical care services that requires a doctor with expertise in a specific area like oncology, cardiopulmonary, neurology, etc. Patients are usually redirected to specialty care by their primary care physicians.
 
Critical care is a part of specialty care where different specialists work collaboratively to help patients fight life threatening conditions. The extent and the time of specialist involvement will vary in each case based on several factors. However, critical care is rarely made possible without specialist involvement.
 
In our homecare service model, we enable specialty care where:

1. The specialist directly engages with the patient at home through our platform.
2. The specialist defines the care protocol that our doctors implement at home. The specialist continues to receive regular patient updates from our doctors.
3. Ubiqare’s clinical team defines the care protocol and implements it while the specialist steps in only when needed

What services do you include in specialty care at home?

 
When it comes to specialty care, the clinical support requirements of patients are highly subjective. But if we were to generalize the services that we offer, we would list them as follows:

1. Care doctor to implement specialist’s care protocol and monitor patient
2. Nurses – qualified and basic – for patient monitoring and clinical procedures
3. Caretaker to help patient with daily activities
4. Sample collection for lab tests and diagnostics
5. Medical equipment like wheelchair, walker, etc. on rent
6. Home delivery of medicine

Our services are available under subscribed care packages.
 

We already have our own specialist for treatment. Will your doctor replace our specialist?

 
No, we do not replace your existing specialist. Instead, our Care Doctor collaborates with your specialist and implements their care protocol at home. In cases where the patient requires a second opinion, we connect them to the specialist empaneled by us.
 
In case you choose to replace your existing specialist for any reason, we can help under such circumstances.

Do you also set up an ICU at home?

 
Yes we do offer care services that could be considered “ICU at home”.
 
Within the medical fraternity, ICU means a care arrangement where the patient is monitored intensively. There is a whole team of medical professionals available for any sort of clinical intervention needed.
 
When some home healthcare service providers say they offer ICU at home, they are essentially enabling the patient monitoring part with some allowed interventions. They may provide a nurse or a doctor to work with the patient but may not be able to manage some complications that need hospital based clinical interventions.
 
These services are covered under specialty care services that we offer to our patients at home. We back up patient monitoring with our proven ability to handle almost 94% of clinical interventions at home under our set up.

Do you also arrange for the medical devices needed at home for critical care?

 
Yes, we do help our patients acquire certain medical devices on rent. While we do not provide these devices directly, we have our vendor partners who offer medical equipment on rent. Our Care Executive works with the patients and their families to arrange for the equipment needed.
 

What benefits can I get from your critical care at home?

 
Having worked with approximately 400 patients for 15,000 patient care days, some of the most highlighted benefits that we have delivered are:

1. Reduced the number of follow up visits to hospitals
2. Reduced hospital readmissions by managing more than 94% complications at home under doctor’s supervision
3. Make patients comfortable at home with their loved ones while they battle their medical issues

What kind of illnesses are supported by your home healthcare team?

 
We cater to chronic illnesses that require patients to be under care for a longer period of time. Cancer, neurological illnesses like multiple sclerosis, stroke, etc. are some examples of such illnesses. For such long-term care cases, we offer:

• Supportive care
• Rehabilitative care
• Pain and palliative care
• End of life care

We also work with elderly patients who have several ongoing medical problems. In addition to this, we also offer postoperative care services.
 

How is your critical care service different from other home care services?

 
What differentiates us today is our approach to home healthcare. We are India’s first enabler of specialty medical care at home. Our care services are driven by specialist doctors who have treated the patient in the hospital. We also create continuity of specialist attention for patients at home – something which other players don’t do.
 

Do you have any examples of critical care patients that you have taken care of at home?

 
We have a formidable record of caring for patients with different illnesses at home. You can see our patient care stories on our website here