The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how critical the job of healthcare workers is in containing a health crisis. They are on the frontline and have expanded their roles and assumed greater responsibilities to combat this global threat. However, due to the rising number of infections, stress, and burnout have become part of their job.
According to studies, sixty-six percent of healthcare workers declared they were considering shifting their profession because of their COVID-19 experiences. In addition, hospitals have already spent an estimated $24 billion to address the staffing shortage caused by the pandemic.
Due to the global health crisis, health systems around the world have taken measures to maintain and improve the capacity of the health workforce. Many countries, including the bustling and fast-paced environment of the UAE, are continuously looking for ways to address the demand for healthcare professionals. Aside from meeting the expected demand for health care in emergency care settings, they are also trying to increase monitoring, and surveillance capacity and ensure that essential services are still readily available.
Multiple Strategies to Address the Surge in Demand for HealthCare Workers
Ensure safe working conditions for redeployed health workers in different settings.
Redeployment is the process of reassigning healthcare workers to separate departments or specialty areas. Redeployment, historically known as “being pulled” to other units, has been used to address staffing shortages. To avoid problems that may arise, nurses who are reassigned should be designated to departments with similar patient groups and competencies required, including adequate training to ensure high safety standards.
Similar to other countries, to mitigate the demand for healthcare workers, they have strategically reassigned their emergency doctors to areas with greater medical needs or to other disciplines, particularly the intensive care units (ICUs). These emergency doctors have also received substantial training, such as in personal protective equipment (PPE) or in the management of patients suffering from respiratory failure.
Provide Teleconsultations and Have Doctors on Call
The pandemic has undermined access to genuine healthcare. Several types of research have proven that emergency department (ED) visits have been reduced, raising concerns about the increased risk of receiving hospital treatment.
Many patients avoid receiving healthcare services from the increasing fear of contracting the virus while visiting healthcare facilities. Given the shortage of healthcare professionals and decreasing capacity of hospitals, they can employ a doctor on call to answer helplines and provide teleconsultations during the specific schedules.
A doctor on call can assess your medical conditions by providing accurate diagnosis and treatment in the comfort of your home. They can offer a comprehensive remote medical consultation service at your convenience. You can hit two birds with one stone by providing safe healthcare to your patients by employing remote medical checkups in Dubai or other parts of the UAE while having doctors on call.
Rapidly up-train staff for non-critical care and home health care providers
The global health crisis has ultimately exposed the issues arising from the working conditions and skill disparities of our healthcare workers. One strategy to address this concern is upskilling healthcare staff for non-critical care providers and introducing home healthcare services. Home health care providers can personally tailor appropriate medical treatment to the patient’s condition with the necessary skills based on the patient’s medical assessment.
Home health care services have the potential to improve the quality of care, personalize the patient experience and provide more value and better care, giving more fulfillment and reawakening the purpose of health care workers to continue with their chosen profession.
It is evident that home care services provide multiple benefits that can help patients recover faster and improve their quality of life. If you are looking for licensed and highly qualified healthcare professionals, who have good support and companionship traits, and provide the best healthcare services in the UAE, check us out here in Alleanza Group for more details.
