Disclosures: Evelyn Qin, MD, MPH: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Objective: The purpose of this study is to characterize patient-reported functional outcomes of older and younger adults 30 days post-discharge following acute hospitalization for COVID-19.

Design: A single-center prospective cohort studySetting : Tertiary care hospital.Participants : Individuals aged 18 years or older who were hospitalized for COVID-19 (n=42). COVID-19 diagnosis was based on positive PCR testing from a nasopharyngeal swab. Individuals without English proficiency or unable to provide informed consent and prisoners were excluded.

Interventions: A standardized telephone questionnaire was administered 30 days after hospital discharge.

Main Outcome Measures: Outcomes included pre-hospitalization and current performance of basic activities of daily living (ADLs) (transferring, bathing, eating, dressing, and toileting), instrumental ADLs (meal preparation, grocery shopping, taking medications, managing finances), and mobility tasks (rising from a chair, navigating stairs, walking ¼ mile); fatigue symptoms (PROMIS Fatigue Short Form 7a), general disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI)), and anxiety and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).

Results: Participants’ ages ranged from 22-95 (mean 57.2) years old. Thirty (71%) were < 65 years old. Twenty-two (52%) were female and 28 (67%) were white. Mean hospital length of stay was 11.3 days and 18 (43%) participants required ICU admission. Among adults aged 18-64 years, 67%, 57%, and 73% developed increased difficulty compared to pre-COVID hospitalization with performing basic ADLs, instrumental ADLs, and mobility tasks, respectively; and 63%, 77%, and 50% experienced a clinically significant worsening on their HAQ-DI, PROMIS fatigue, and HADS scores, respectively. Results showed that adults aged 18-64 years old were similar if not more likely than those aged 65 years and older to experience new functional impairment.Conclusions: All adults, regardless of age, are at risk for prolonged, clinically significant functional impairment following hospitalization for COVID-19, highlighting the need for early rehabilitation in order to maximize functional outcomes.

Level of Evidence: Level II

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/patient-reported-functional-outcomes-thirty-days-after-hospitalization-for-covid-19/