Prasad, a 36-years old techie of Bangalore, was returning back from work on a rainy evening when his bike slipped. Hitting the tar road hard, Prasad sustained injuries to L2 vertebra. The injury caused paraplegia in him wherein he lost movement and sensation in both his legs. He also lost his bladder control due to numbness in his lower body.
 
Prasad’s surgeon performed a lumbar spine surgery. Prasad spent 2 weeks in the hospital where his surgeon monitored his recovery. Post his discharge Prasad was advised rehab and rest.
 
His surgeon believed that despite being discharged, Prasad still needed moderate medical oversight to aid his recovery. However, he also didn’t want Prasad to face the heavy traffic and commute to the hospital frequently with his still recovering spine for medical follow-ups.
 
So, his surgeon advised him to adopt a home care service that could provide him the medical oversight and help continue the surgeon’s follow-up treatment.
 

Ubiqare’s Post-Operative Care Aids Patient’s Recovery

Ubiqare took on the caregiving responsibilities for Prasad as he recuperated at home from his spine surgery.
 
Prasad used Ubiqare’s specialty mobility healthcare platform to stay connected with his surgeon who monitored his recovery. We assigned a Care Doctor who collaborated with Prasad’s surgeon and extended his follow-up care regime at home. The Care Doctor monitored the regaining of limbic functionality, range of movement and strength and reported to the surgeon. The Care Doctor also recommended turn protocol and use of stockings to prevent DVT and bed sores.
 
We had a nurse visiting Prasad daily to clean Prasad’s wound and dress it. Since our nurse was a skilled one with good medical experience, the surgeon allowed her to remove his stitches at home under his supervision using our platform’s audio-video feature.
 
Since, Prasad required physical therapy, we assigned a physiotherapist to visit him thrice a week at home. After an initial period of 4 weeks, the physiotherapist reduced his visits to once a week and provided some home exercises that Prasad continued to do at home. We also provided walker to Prasad at home during his later days of recovery where he found it difficult to walk without support.
 
Since Prasad also had bladder control issues, he was fitted with Foley’s Catheter. This needed to be monitored for hygiene and changed regularly.
 

Outcomes

Prasad underwent a rehabilitation period of 3 months post his surgery under Ubiqare’s post-operative care at home. The presence of our Care Doctor allowed his surgeon to extend his follow-up care for Prasad at home. His surgeon could offer follow-up consultations to Prasad using our digital platform and reduce his hospital visits which were physically and mentally exhausting.
 
Our visiting physiotherapist helped Prasad undergo physical therapy without having to travel to a physical therapy center. Prasad gradually regained mobility in the lower part of his body.
 
We also helped Prasad’s family by providing medical supplies like walker at home, thereby reducing their frequent visits.
 
Our Care Doctor worked closely with Prasad’s family during the long recovery phase helping them understand the process and know what to expect as an outcome. Our care navigation provided them answers to the questions they had and allowed them to be and feel in control of the situation.