Manipal Hospitals Bangalore Collaborates with Government of Karnataka to Conduct E-Rounds Initiative

Manipal Hospitals Bangalore in a bid to support Government of Karnataka (GOK) to combat pandemic cases is providing support via conducting E-rounds for high risk Covid Patients across 7 districts of the State. The war room set up in Bangalore, comprising of Principal Secretary for health and family welfare, health commissioner and government appointed doctors facilitate virtual health rounds between the districts and the specialists. The team facilitates consultations via video conference with all the Hospitals twice daily. Over the last 2 weeks, a specialist team comprising of a Geriatrician, Intensivist, Pulmonologist, Anesthetist and Nephrologist have been monitoring critically ill COVID – 19 centres across the state.

The expert team of doctors are getting together virtually everyday at 11:00am and 18:00pm to evaluate cases of SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Illness) and ILI (Influenza Like Illnesses), across 7 districts of the State i.e Belagavi, Bidar, Kalburgi, Vijayapura, Gadag and Dakshina Kannada and Davangere. Identifying critically ill patients, going through the case records, lab investigations, XRays and coming up with a treatment protocol in conjunction with the treating doctors at these district hospitals has now become a routine. The doctors go through all the case details and come up with individual management plans.

The doctors have relentlessly supported and carried out 550 clinical interventions so far and more than 570 case discussions have happened until date. Around 47 lifesaving interventions like ventilation, dialysis, inotropes and thrombolysis have been performed. 40 of the 160 critically ill cases have recovered.

Dr. Trilok Chandra, IAS officer said, “The war room at Bengaluru maintains a parallel case sheet of every critical patient in the state. The expert team interacts with the local doctors four times a day and takes stock of the treatment being given to each of them. If required, the experts the experts also suggest the next line of treatment that can improve the condition of the patients. The main intention of the e-rounds is to ensure that not a single ICU patient is lost to Covid-19.

He further added “The team has taken telemedicine facility to a new level, where doctors from private hospitals have also joined the hands to fight this pandemic. As and when required, they take inputs from medical experts from other private hospitals also including paediatricians”

Along with medical interventions, the e-round team has also begun interacting with district administration and district health officers to ensure the doctors and medical staff receive all the required equipment and medicines to treat the patients.

Dr. Anoop Amarnath, Chief of Clinical Services at Manipal Hospitals, who is handling the e-rounds said, “This a very good example of how public-private partnership can work to improve accessibility to healthcare. Digital health enables remote care delivery. The e-rounds help in providing peer reviewed, best practice guidelines virtually. This is a thoughtful and wonderful initiative by Government of Karnataka which is helping critical patients through collaborative efforts.”

Sharing his thoughts Dr. Satyanarayana Mysore, HOD Interventional Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine, Manipal Hospitals Bangalore, “We have been able to streamline care, process of healthcare and this has reduced mortality in 6 districts of north Karnataka. It takes nearly 6 hours a day to get this private government partnership going to achieve low mortality amongst covid19 patients. This is in addition to our regular patient care.

Dr Sunil Karanth, Chairman, Critical Care Services, Manipal Hospitals said, “The COVID 19 pandemic has created tremendous distortion in all walks of life. During this health care professionals from different spheres have united to fight this common enemy. In a unique PPP, the state's health authority has teamed up with many private hospitals for conducting E-Rounds of critically ill COVID suspect patients in the second tier cities and interior parts of the state. This gives access to take expertise from the tertiary level hospitals to the grass roots and help saving lives.