IMPORTANCE Home health care workers care for community-dwelling adults and play an important role in supporting patients with confirmed and suspected coronavirus disease 2019 ) who remain at home. These workers are mostly middle-aged women and racial/ethnic minorities who typically earn low wages. Despite being integral to patient care, these workers are often neglected by the medical community and society at large; thus, developing a health care system capable of addressing the COVID-19 crisis and future pandemics requires a better understanding of the experiences of home health care workers.OBJECTIVE To understand the experiences of home health care workers caring for patients in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSFrom March to April 2020, a qualitative study with 1-to-1 semistructured interviews of 33 home health care workers in New York City was conducted in partnership with the 1199SEIU Home Care Industry Education Fund, a benefit fund of the 1199 Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers East, the largest health care union in the US. Purposeful sampling was used to identify and recruit home health care workers.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Audio-recorded interviews were professionally transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory. Major themes and subthemes were identified. RESULTSIn total, 33 home health care workers employed by 24 unique home care agencies across the 5 boroughs of New York City participated. Participants had a mean (SD) age of 47.6 (14.0) years, 32 (97%) were women, 21 (64%) were Black participants, and 6 (18%) were Hispanic participants. Five major themes emerged: home health care workers (1) were on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic but felt invisible; (2) reported a heightened risk for virus transmission; (3) received varying amounts of information, supplies, and training from their home care agencies; (4) relied on nonagency alternatives for support, including information and supplies; and (5) were forced to make difficult trade-offs in their work and personal lives. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this qualitative analysis, home health care workers reported providing frontline essential care, often at personal risk, during the COVID-19 pandemic. They experienced challenges that exacerbated the inequities they face as a marginalized workforce. Interventions and policies to better support these frontline health care professionals are urgently needed.

Background: During the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there was an unprecedented demand for "virtual visits," or ambulatory visits conducted via video interface, in order to decrease the risk of transmission. Objective: To describe the implementation and evaluation of a video visit program at a large, academic primary care practice in New York, NY, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and participants: We included consecutive adults (age > 18) scheduled for video visits from March 16, 2020 to April 17, 2020 for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related complaints. Intervention: New processes were established to prepare the practice and patients for video visits. Video visits were conducted by attendings, residents, and nurse practitioners. Main measures: Guided by the RE-AIM Framework, we evaluated the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, and Implementation of video visits. Key results: In the 4 weeks prior to the study period, 12 video visits were completed. During the 5-weeks study period, we completed a total of 1,030 video visits for 817 unique patients. Of the video visits completed, 42% were for COVID-19 related symptoms, and the remainder were for other acute or chronic conditions. Video visits were completed more often among younger adults, women, and those with commercial insurance, compared to those who completed in-person visits pre-COVID (all p < 0.0001). Patients who completed video visits reported high satisfaction (mean 4.6 on a 5-point scale [SD: 0.97]); 13.3% reported technical challenges during video visits. Conclusions: Video visits are feasible for the delivery of primary care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Socially determined vulnerabilities (SDVs) to health disparities often cluster within the same individual. SDVs are separately associated with increased risk of heart failure (HF). The objective of this study was to determine the cumulative effect of SDVs to health disparities on incident HF hospitalization. Methods and Results: Using the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) cohort study, we studied 25 790 participants without known HF and followed them for 10+ years. Our primary outcome was an incident HF hospitalization through December 31, 2016. Guided by the Healthy People 2020 framework for social determinants of health, we examined 10 potential SDVs. We retained SDVs associated with incident HF hospitalization ( P <0.10) and created an SDV count (0, 1, 2, 3+). Using the count, we estimated Cox proportional hazard models to examine associations with incident HF hospitalization, adjusting for potential confounders. Models were stratified by age (45–64, 65–74, and 75+ years) because past reports suggest greater disparities in HF incidence at younger ages. Participants were followed for a median of 10.1 years (interquartile range, 6.5–11.9). Black race, low educational attainment, low annual household income, zip code poverty, poor public health infrastructure, and lack of health insurance were associated with incident HF hospitalization. In adjusted models, among those 45 to 64 years, compared with having no SDV, having 1 SDV (hazard ratio, 1.85 [95% CI, 1.12–3.05]), 2 SDVs (hazard ratio, 2.12 [95% CI, 1.28–3.50]), and 3+ SDVs (hazard ratio, 2.45 [95% CI, 1.48–4.04]) were significantly associated with incident HF hospitalization ( P for trend, 0.001). We observed no significant associations for older individuals. Conclusions: A greater number of SDVs significantly increased risk of incident HF hospitalization among adults <65 years, which persisted after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Using a simple SDV count that could be obtained from a social history during clinical assessment may identify younger individuals at increased risk.

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BACKGROUND: Readmission rates are high among heart failure (HF) patients who require home health care (HHC) after hospitalization. Although HF patients who require HHC are often sicker than those who do not, HHC delivery itself may also be suboptimal. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the workflow of HHC among adults discharged home after a HF hospitalization, including the roles of various stakeholders, and to determine where along these workflow challenges and opportunities for improvement exist. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: In this qualitative study, we used purposeful sampling to approach and recruit a variety of key stakeholders including home health aides, nurses, HF patients, family caregivers, physicians, social workers, home care agency leaders, and policy experts. The study took place in New York, NY, from March to October 2018. APPROACH: Using a semi-structured topic guide, we elicited participants' experiences with HHC in HF through a combination of one-on-one interviews and focus groups. Data were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. We also asked selected participants to depict in a drawing their understanding of HHC workflow after hospitalization for HF patients. We synthesized the drawings into a final image. KEY RESULTS: Study participants (N = 80) described HHC for HF patients occurring in 6 steps, with home health aides playing a main role: (1) transitioning from hospital to home; (2) recognizing clinical changes; (3) making decisions; (4) managing symptoms; (5) asking for help; and (6) calling 911. Participants identified challenges and opportunities for improvement for each step. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that HHC for HF patients occurs in discrete steps, each with different challenges. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, various interventions may be required to optimize HHC delivery for HF patients in the post-discharge period.