Primary Care Population Management for COVID-19 Patients
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
Nasal Brushing Sampling and Processing Using Digital High Speed Ciliary Videomicroscopy – Adaptation for the COVID-19 Pandemic
Published on: November 7, 2020
Deborah Blazey-Martin1, Elizabeth Barnhart2, Joseph Gillis2
1Division of Internal Medicine and Adult Primary Care, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. dblazey-martin@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
Background:
Most patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 have mild to moderate symptoms manageable at home; however, up to 20% develop severe illness requiring additional support. Primary care practices performing population management can use these tools to remotely assess and manage COVID-19 patients and identify those needing additional medical support before becoming critically ill.
Aim:
We developed an innovative population management approach for managing COVID-19 patients remotely.
Setting:
Development, implementation, and evaluation took place in April 2020 within a large urban academic medical center primary care practice.
Participants:
Our panel consists of 40,000 patients. By April 27, 2020, 305 had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR. Outreach was performed by teams of doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses.
Program Description:
Our innovation includes an algorithm, an EMR component, and a twice daily population report for managing COVID-19 patients remotely.
Program Evaluation:
Of the 305 patients with COVID-19 in our practice at time of submission, 196 had returned to baseline; 54 were admitted to hospitals, six of these died, and 40 were discharged.
Discussion:
Our population management strategy helped us optimize at-home care for our COVID-19 patients and enabled us to identify those who require inpatient medical care in a timely fashion.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-V: Management
Smoking Cessation
01:30Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-V: Nursing Management
Assessment
01:28Acute Coronary Syndrome IV: Interprofessional Care
01:30Pneumonia V: Nursing management and Prevention
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed....
01:26COPD: Management Using Bronchodilators and Corticosteroids
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...