Objective
To report symptoms, disability and rehabilitation referral rates after COVID-19 hospitalization in a large, predominantly elderly population
Design
Cross-sectional study, with post-discharge telemonitoring of individuals hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, at the first month after hospital discharge, as part of a comprehensive telerehabilitation program
Setting
Private verticalized healthcare network specialized in the elderly population
Participants
Individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19
Interventions
Not applicable
Main Outcome Measure(s)
Dependence for basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs and IADLs, respectively) using Barthel's Index and Lawton's Scale. We compared the outcomes between participants admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) vs. those admitted to the ward.
Results
We included 1,696 consecutive patients, aging 71.8±13.0 years-old, with 56.1% of females. Comorbidities were present in 82.3% of the cases. Participant were followed up for 21.8±11.7 days after discharge. During post-discharge assessment, independence for ADLs was found to be lower in the group admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) than the ward group (61.1% [95%CI 55.8-66.2%] vs. 72.7% [95%CI 70.3-75.1], p<0.001). Dependence for IADLs was also more frequent in the ICU group (84.6%, 95%CI [80.4-88.2%], vs. 74.5%, [95%CI 72.0-76.8%], p<0.001). Individuals admitted to ICU required more oxygen therapy (25.5% vs 12.6%, p<0.001), presented more shortness of breath during routine (45.2% vs 34.5%, p<0.001) and non-routine activities (66.3% vs 48.2%, p<0.001), had more difficulty standing up for 10 minutes (49.3% vs 37.9% p<0.001). The rehabilitation treatment plan consisted mostly of exercise booklets, which were offered to 65.5% of participants. The most referred rehabilitation professionals were psychologists (11.8%), physical therapists (8.0%), dietitians (6.8%), and speech-language pathologists (4.6%).
Conclusions
Individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19 present high levels of disability, dyspnea, dysphagia, and dependence for both ADLs and IADLs. Those admitted at the ICU presented more advanced disability parameters.