Providing Home Healthcare Services for Patients during Pandemics: Applicability in Developing Countries

Abstract

The need for a systematic way to provide routine healthcare services for patients during pandemics is one of the priorities of the healthcare sector, especially when the country is in lockdown. In this article, we study the possibility of providing healthcare services for patients at their homes during pandemics in developing countries where such a system is not available. We present a technology-based solution and examine the possibility of its adaptation through a number of theoretical perspectives that examine changes in healthcare systems in general. Examining the theories of change revealed that providing healthcare services at home is a must during pandemics, and it has a significant role in improving the healthcare sector and in providing valuable services to patients, especially when the county is on lockdown. However, a number of challenges do exist for 0its adaptation in developing countries. These challenges are concerned with the costs of developing and maintaining the new system, as well as ensuring a precise and accurate healthcare service to be delivered on time and without any faults or errors. Having a well-studied plan by the health sector, an efficient scheduling mechanism for the healthcare services’ requests, and a service monitoring system can overcome all challenges and ensure a better quality of life for patients.