O-123 Tele-Intensive Care: The NTPC Remote Covid Management Model

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has enormously stressed the global healthcare system compelling the discovery of new approaches to care, especially by leveraging the use of technology in telehealth. Methods In India, the Government’s release of the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines enabled health providers to deliver essential medical evaluation, diagnosis, and triage remotely by use of technology. Results and discussion Patients with COVID-19 present with a range of symptoms, and some need intensive care. The management of critically ill patients is resource-intensive and requires a partnership between especially skilled manpower and machines. Monitoring is key to critical care. In many countries, including India, the distribution of intensivists is skewed and tends to be predominantly toward urban tertiary care hospitals. This leads to the non-functioning of Critical care centers in remote areas. Hospitals without on-site intensivists may benefit from tele-ICU services wherein electronic systems connect ICU patient data with intensivists at remote locations as part of a collaborative network. Technology-enabled remote monitoring and management of covid patients were carried out through Tele ICU care in projects and stations of NTPC, the premiere power-producing company of India, which were situated in remote locations of the country. The intensivists provided real-time data and audio-visual monitoring, diagnostic, and intervention services and worked together with bedside teams to bridge the critical care gap. Conclusion Rapid deployment of tele-ICU services was essential in gaining the confidence of the workforce and thereby preventing migration of essential staff required for the operation of power plants. This application saved many lives. Caregiver stress was minimized by remote care providers who assisted 24*7.