Pandemic Accelerates the Trend of Receiving Care at Home

In August 2020, the demand for home care services in Brazil was 20% higher compared to the same period the previous year

Amid the pandemic and overcrowding in hospitals, the home care sector, known as home care, has demonstrated an even more important role in the sustainability of Brazil's healthcare system. This type of service offers everything from home hospitalization to disease prevention and treatment, administration of antibiotics, dressing changes, rehabilitation, and even dental care, for all stages of life. According to the medical director of Pronep Life Care – a brand of the Sodexo group and a pioneer in home care services in the country, Rosana Pais, safe de-hospitalization is a global trend that directly impacts the availability of hospital beds. She explains that "de-hospitalizing" means continuing treatment at home while preserving the quality, technology, and clinical knowledge of the patient. According to the doctor, in August 2020, the demand from Brazilians seeking home care was 20% higher compared to the same period the previous year. "Healthcare is undergoing a full transformation. More and more, doctors are meeting patients where they are. Healthcare professionals themselves value this option, believing it to be a solution that contributes to the freeing up of hospital beds and is even safer – especially in times of a pandemic, which has accelerated this trend," she states. The specialist lists some of the advantages of adopting the service: "At home, the risks of astrogenias, adverse events, and infections are lower, as care is tailored to the specific needs of each patient," she assesses. In addition to the practicality and convenience for the patient, another positive point highlighted by Rosana is the involvement of the family – a factor that can make treatment less distressing and speed up recovery. "There is optimization of time and a reduction in unnecessary re-hospitalizations." Learn more Based on the 2019/2020 Census from the National Center for Home Care Services (Nead), conducted by the Foundation Institute of Economic Research (Fipe), the sector saw a 22.8% increase in the country – the number of establishments jumped from 676 in 2018 to 830 in 2019. Fipe also estimates that if the home care sector ceased its services, an additional 20,763 hospital beds would be needed annually for the care currently provided by home care. These beds represent 4.87% of the total hospital beds in the country. It is worth remembering that during a pandemic, freeing up hospital beds is crucial for the treatment of Covid-19. Expansion Since 2009, Pronep Life Care has been present in Espírito Santo, and its operations are only growing in the region. Over its nearly 30 years, the pioneering company in home care services in Brazil has cared for more than 35,000 lives. Currently, it serves more than 2,000 patients daily in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Ribeirão Preto (SP), and Espírito Santo. In 2018, it became part of the Sodexo group, the largest company in the world in quality of life services. For 2021, the company's challenge is to increase the number of patients served in Espírito Santo by 25% – currently, this unit represents about 10% of the company's total revenue in Brazil and has strong potential to gain even more relevance. "We had strong double-digit revenue growth in the Fiscal Year 2020 compared to 2019, driven by a 45% increase in the number of patients served from one year to the next." Pronep directly addresses care and attention to a wide variety of needs: specialized home hospitalization for technical procedures and higher complexity, rehabilitation, home assistance by a multidisciplinary team, as well as dressing changes, medication administration, and other procedures, including palliative care. "All services provided are carried out by a highly qualified and specialized team, which follows our purpose of doing good: listening, feeling, and caring," she concludes.