Dengue management: practical and safe hospital-based outpatient care.
Service provision for a population with endemic dengue is difficult because of its variable incidence and its unpredictable clinical course in individuals. We describe a novel hospital-based outpatient dengue management clinic that is sustainable both during and outside epidemic periods. Pre-defined selection criteria based on demographic, clinical and laboratory prognostic factors were applied. In the first five months, this predominantly nurse-operated, protocol-based clinic enrolled 118 adults, or 35% of patients who would have ordinarily received inpatient care. This resulted in 207 bed-days saved without adverse events.
Ingram
Paul R
PR
Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore.
Mahadevan
Malcolm
M
Fisher
Dale A
DA