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Urdu1. Insights From Rapid Deployment of a “Virtual Hospital” as Standard Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been disrupting traditional health care operations by overwhelming system resource capacity, but also has created opportunities for care innovation. Researchers from Atrium Health describe the development and rapid deployment of a virtual hospital program, Atrium Health hospital at home (AH-HaH), within a large health care system.
During their study, 1,477 patients with COVID-19 received care through a virtual observation unit (VOU) and/or a virtual acute care unit (VACU) with a median stay of 11 days. Of these, 1,293 patients received care in the VOU, and 40 patients required inpatient hospitalization. Of those 40 patients, 16 spent time in the ICU, 7 required ventilator support, and two died during hospital admission. In total, 184 patients were ever admitted to the VACU, in which 22 percent required respiratory inhaler or nebulizer treatments, 22 percent used supplemental oxygen, and 13 percent (24 patients) were admitted as an inpatient to a conventional hospital.
The researchers note that their study has limitations, such as needing patients with a working telephone and ability to comply with monitoring protocols. Overall, virtual hospital programs have the potential to provide health systems with additional inpatient capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
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The lead corresponding author, Kranthi Sitammagari, MD, can be reached directly at [email protected] or 914-413-9406.
2. Sixty-Day Outcomes Among Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19
Although characteristics and in-hospital outcomes for persons with COVID-19 have been well described, less is known about the longer-term outcomes of hospitalized patients. Authors from the University of Michigan Health System and The Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Collaborative describe 60-day postdischarge clinical, financial, and mental health outcomes of patients with COVID-19.
The authors reviewed patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at 38 participating hospitals and found nearly one in three patients died during hospitalization or within 60 days of discharge. For most patients who survived, ongoing morbidity, including the inability to return to normal activities, physical and emotional symptoms, and financial loss, was common. Adverse events after COVID-19 hospitalization are common and the authors emphasize that policies and clinical and research programs targeting these are much needed.
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The lead author, Vineet Chopra MD, MSc, can be reached through Kara Gavin at [email protected].
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