Emory University School of Medicine, 100 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
Emory University School of Medicine, 100 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, 100 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
Healthc (Amst). 2021 Mar;9(1):100512. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100512. Epub 2020 Dec 24.
Little is known about the follow-up healthcare needs of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after hospital discharge. Due to the unique circumstances of providing transitional care in a pandemic, post-discharge providers must adapt to specific needs and limitations identified for the care of COVID-19 patients. In this study, we conducted a retrospective chart review of all hospitalized COVID-19 patients discharged from an Emory Healthcare Hospital in Atlanta, GA from March 26 to April 21, 2020 to characterize their post-discharge care plans. A total of 310 patients were included in the study (median age 58, range: 23-99; 51.0% female; 69.0% African American). The most common presenting comorbidities were hypertension (200, 64.5%), obesity (BMI≥30) (138, 44.5%), and diabetes mellitus (112, 36.1%). The median length of hospitalization was 5 days (range: 0-33). Sixty-seven patients (21.6%) were admitted to the intensive care unit and 42 patients (13.5%) received invasive mechanical ventilation. The most common complications recorded at discharge were electrolyte abnormalities (124, 40.0%), acute kidney injury (86, 27.7%) and sepsis (55, 17.7%). The majority of patients were discharged directly home (281, 90.6%). Seventy-five patients (24.2%) required any home service including home health and home oxygen therapy. The most common follow-up need was an appointment with a primary care provider (258, 83.2%). Twenty-four patients (7.7%) had one or more visit to an ED after discharge and 16 patients (5.2%) were readmitted. To our knowledge, this is the first large study to report on post-discharge medical care for COVID-19 patients.
关于 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）出院患者的后续医疗需求，人们知之甚少。由于在大流行期间提供过渡性护理的特殊情况，出院后提供者必须适应为 COVID-19 患者提供护理所确定的特定需求和限制。在这项研究中，我们对 2020 年 3 月 26 日至 4 月 21 日期间从佐治亚州亚特兰大埃默里医疗保健医院出院的所有 COVID-19 住院患者进行了回顾性病历审查，以描述他们的出院后护理计划。共有 310 名患者纳入研究（中位数年龄 58 岁，范围：23-99；51.0%为女性；69.0%为非裔美国人）。最常见的合并症是高血压（200 例，64.5%）、肥胖（BMI≥30）（138 例，44.5%）和糖尿病（112 例，36.1%）。住院中位数为 5 天（范围：0-33）。67 名患者（21.6%）入住重症监护病房，42 名患者（13.5%）接受有创机械通气。出院时记录的最常见并发症是电解质异常（124 例，40.0%）、急性肾损伤（86 例，27.7%）和败血症（55 例，17.7%）。大多数患者直接出院回家（281 例，90.6%）。75 名患者（24.2%）需要任何家庭服务，包括家庭保健和家庭氧疗。最常见的后续需求是预约初级保健提供者（258 例，83.2%）。24 名患者（7.7%）在出院后有一次或多次急诊就诊，16 名患者（5.2%）再次入院。据我们所知，这是第一项报告 COVID-19 患者出院后医疗护理的大型研究。
