Abstract
Cancer patients are exposed to a greater risk of COVID-19 infection, resulting in treatment delays and unnecessary hospitalizations. International authorities have suggested reducing visits to hospitals and guarantee continuity of care. We developed a home care project called Home Se-Cure (HSC) to guarantee the continuity of oral, intramuscular, and subcutaneous cancer therapy during COVID-19. The Home Se-Cure project included cancer patients living near Galliera Hospital. Patients received home visits by registered nurses (RNs), whoperformed blood tests and delivered cancer therapies. Patients were instructed to take drugs after blood test results and therapy confirmation by oncologists. Sixty-six patients decided to participate and 38 declined the service. A customer satisfaction questionnaire was administered to a subgroup of patients participating in the project. The most prevalent disease in the HSC group was prostate cancer. The mean age of the patients in HSC was 78.4 years and 68.9 in the decliner group. The majority of the HSC participants appreciated the project because they could stay at home (71%) and reduce the risk of COVID-19 contagion (67.7%). Compared to decliners, the time the study group saved was 2033 hours. HSC guaranteed the continuity of care during the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing the number of patients in the hospital and avoiding crowds in the waiting room.
Highlights
The immunosuppressed status of cancer patients due to disease or anticancer treatment increases their risk of infection compared with the general population
Between 1 May 2020 and 31 March 2021, 104 patients were screened for inclusion in the Home Se-Cure project: 66 patients decided to participate, while 38 declined and were considered as the declining group
Participants in the Home Se-Cure group were older with the worst PS compared with patients who declined the service
Summary
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Infection has spread worldwide causing the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. COVID-19 infection has affected specific segments of the population with particular severity based on age and comorbidities. The most vulnerable patients are those with older age and chronic diseases, such as cancer [1,2,3]. The immunosuppressed status of cancer patients due to disease or anticancer treatment increases their risk of infection compared with the general population
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