PHILADELPHIA (November 23 2020) – Survivors of COVID-19 are a vulnerable population who often have health ramifications from their illness and hospital stay. Upon returning home from acute care, large proportions of survivors experience functional dependencies, pain, dyspnea, and exhaustion. Until now, no data has been available on the outcomes of COVID-19 patients discharged home after hospitalization and their recovery needs.
In a new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), rich data from more than 1,400 COVID-19 patients admitted to home health care after hospital discharge describes home visit care and recovery extent. In the study, 94 percent of the patients discharged to home health care, which included skilled nursing and physical therapy, achieved statistically significant improvements in symptom burden and functional outcomes and 87 percent had no adverse events. The study indicates that increasing referrals to home health care has the potential to provide support and achieve improved recovery for these patients.
“Our findings suggest that acute care providers might carefully consider which COVID-19 survivors would benefit from home health care after hospitalization,” writes Kathryn H. Bowles, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, Professor of Nursing and van Ameringen Chair in Nursing Excellence at Penn Nursing. “A decision support tool to identify general hospitalized patients for home health care referral may be helpful.” Bowles was the lead investigator of the study.
###
An article detailing the study, titled “Surviving COVID-19 After Hospital Discharge: Symptom, Functional, and Adverse Outcomes of Home Health Recipients,” is set for publication in an upcoming issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, but is now available online here.
Coauthors of the article include Erin Kennedy, BSN, of Penn Nursing; Margaret McDonald, MSW, and Yolanda Barrón, MS, both of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York; Melissa O’Connor, MBA, PhD, of Villanova University; and Mark Mikkelsen, MD, MSCE, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world’s leading schools of nursing. For the fifth year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University and is consistently ranked highly in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of best graduate schools. Penn Nursing is currently ranked # 1 in funding from the National Institutes of Health, among other schools of nursing, for the third consecutive year. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through innovation in research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, & Instagram
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
