Bhalla Nalini S, Fawcett Janet
Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Arizona.
University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix.
Fed Pract. 2023 Jun;40(6):194-198a. doi: 10.12788/fp.0385. Epub 2023 Jun 14.
We studied the effects of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on frailty trends in a subset of older veterans at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
We identified 3538 and 6103 veterans aged 70 to 75 years as of February 8, 2019, with a calculated Care Assessment Need (CAN) score of ≥ 75 for 1-year mortality and hospitalization, respectively. After excluding veterans with insufficient 2020 and 2021 data, we compared the difference in 1-year mortality and hospitalization CAN scores from 2019 to 2020 with 2020 to 2021 using a paired test.
The difference in mean (SD) 1-year mortality CAN scores from 2020 to 2021 was 0.2 (13.4) when compared with the previous year's -4.9 (12.5) ( < .0001), indicating increased frailty. The difference in 1-year hospitalization CAN scores from 2020 to 2021 was -1.5 (12.0) when compared with the previous year's -2.8 (9.9) ( < .0001).
Frailty in our veteran subpopulation as calculated by 1-year mortality CAN scores increased in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic when compared with a recovering trend the previous year.
我们研究了2019冠状病毒病大流行第一年对凤凰城退伍军人事务医疗保健系统中一部分老年退伍军人衰弱趋势的影响。
我们确定了截至2019年2月8日年龄在70至75岁之间的3538名和6103名退伍军人,他们的1年死亡率和住院率的护理评估需求(CAN)得分分别计算为≥75分。在排除2020年和2021年数据不足的退伍军人后,我们使用配对检验比较了2019年至2020年与2020年至2021年1年死亡率和住院率CAN得分的差异。
与上一年的-4.9(12.5)相比,2020年至2021年1年死亡率CAN得分的平均(标准差)差异为0.2(13.4)(P<.0001),表明衰弱增加。与上一年的-2.8(9.9)相比,2020年至2021年1年住院率CAN得分的差异为-1.5(12.0)(P<.0001)。
与上一年的恢复趋势相比,在2019冠状病毒病大流行的第一年,通过1年死亡率CAN得分计算的我们退伍军人亚群中的衰弱有所增加。