Developing a Care Model for Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hospitel of Thai-Malaysian Border, Managed by the Inpatient Department of Sadao Hospital, Songkhla Province

Abstract

This research and development aimed 1) to study the current situation of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), 2)to create and develop a care model for the patients using in hospitel under Sadao Hospital supervision, Songkhla Province, 3) to evaluate an effectiveness of the model, and 4) to study key success factors of the model. Data were collected from health personnels, hotel employees and related persons. Questionnaires and questions for group discussion, which were verified by 3 experts, were used to collect data. The research tools received Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient .80, .83 and .89, respectively. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-sample t-test while qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis.
The findings showed that after the first wave of COVID-19, a number of patients were found having ages between 20 to 29 year old and were mainly found in Marcus cluster (Islamic religious ceremonies), located in communities near Thai-Malaysian border, and in a glove factory. After the explosion of COVID-19 cases, the hospital rapidly responded to the situation. The coordination and sharing of information were quickly done. However, it was found that equipment in the hospital was not enough. There was a problem of infectious waste management.
The care model used in the hospital was HOME, consisting of H: Holding hands (cooperation), Hotel (accommodation), O: Occupancy (housing), M: Manager & Manpower (system manager and manpower), E: Electronic VPN (a tool used to link data between hospitals and hotels). After using the model, the COVID-19 prevention and control behaviors as well as the subjects’ awareness had a mean score more than 3.50 with a statistical significance (p<.001). The key success factors were the readiness of medical personnels, executive support, sharing information, personnel awareness about COVID-19, raising people’s awareness, teamwork, cooperation in both public and private sectors, learning to do new things, improving hotel standardization as well as having moral consideration in terms of providing care to all patients.