Description and analysis of primary care-based COVID-19 interventions in Colombia
Erwin Hernando Hernández Rincón, Juan Pimentel, Manuel Felipe Aramendiz Narváez, Raúl Andrés Araujo Tabares, Julián Mateo Roa González
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic was declared in early 2020, requiring different prevention and intervention measures on a large scale. In the case of Colombia, a series of measures focused on isolation and remote services provision were introduced in a context marked by health inequities. This article reviews the theoretical and normative references on primary care interventions in the Colombian response to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A literature review was conducted in PubMed, LILACS, MEDLINE, and official documents and regulations issued in Colombia, the World Health Organization, and the Pan American Health Organization. A narrative synthesis was done of 33 documents based on their contribution to the implementation of primary care in Colombia and their role in the pandemic. RESULTS: The information was organized into two categories: Actions taken in Colombia in response to COVID-19 and Opportunities in primary care in response to COVID-19. Colombias actions were contrasted with world experience. Better pandemic control was found in countries that adopted primary care as a response. Primary care has strengthened the handling of the pandemic through community action, the provision of coordinated services, mental health inclusion, and the adoption of telemedicine processes. CONCLUSIONS: In Colombia, primary care is presented as an opportunity to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the problems and needs derived from this situation. However, despite the above, there is resistance in the country to adopt this type of approach and complement the hospital-centric model to face the pandemic.