Evaluation on medical alliance-based community prevention for coronavirus disease 2019 in Luohu district of Shenzhen city: a comparison analysis

  Objective  To briefly report and preliminarily evaluate medical alliance-based community prevention and control for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Luohu district with the implementation of medical reform characterized by the construction of medical alliances and hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system (namely Luohu medical reform) in 2015.

  Methods   We collected the data on COVID-19-related surveillance and home quarantine among two groups of community residents in Luohu district of Shenzhen city during the period from January 8th to March 2nd, 2020. The two resident groups were covered by community health service centers (CHSCs) attached to a public hospital group under medical reform administration (PHG) and a civilian-run privacy medical institution group (CRG), respectively. Descriptive and comparative statistics were performed to analyze COVID-19-related surveillance and home quarantine of the two residents groups.

  Results  During the period among the residents covered by CHSCs attached to PHG, totally 34 625 high-risk individuals (6.22% of the whole residents) were surveyed for detecting COVID-19 infections, of which, 6 077 were quarantined at home; while, among those covered by CHSCs attached to CRG, 19 317 high-risk individuals (5.18% of the whole residents) were surveyed and 3 229 were quarantined at home; there were significant differences in the ratio of the individuals surveyed (χ² = 440.90, P < 0.001) and quarantined (χ² = 6.06, P < 0.05) between the two resident groups. For the individuals quarantined due to the history of travelling in regions with COVID-19 epidemic, the mean interval from retuning home to being quarantined was significantly shorter for the individuals covered by CHSCs attached to PHG than for the individuals covered by CHSCs attached to CRG (2.31 ± 5.08 days vs. 5.32 ± 6.29 days, t′ = 23.42; P < 0.05). The date with the highest number of residents being quarantined was 4 days earlier among the residents covered by CHSCs attached to PHG than among those covered by CHSCs attached to CRG.

  Conclusion  With the implementation of medical reform in Luohu district of Shenzhen city, the prevention and control for COVID-19 epidemic was much more effective in communities covered by community health service centers attached to the public hospital group than in communities covered by community health service centers attached to other medical alliances.