IntroductionIn the Swiss canton of Valais, the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 were detected on 28 February 2020. Discharged patients’ and their family caregivers’ experiences in relation to safety, quality of care, trust and communication during the COVID-19 hospitalisation period remain unexplored. The study aims to collect the patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) survey of patients discharged during the COVID-19 pandemic and their family caregivers.Methods and analysisPatients aged ≥18 years, hospitalised between 28 February and 11 May 2020 and then discharged home, plus their family caregivers will be invited to complete a self-administrated questionnaire made up of 14 closed questions and 1 open-ended question. The questionnaire will include items on the patient’s hospital trajectory and assess the interpersonal trust placed in nurses and physicians based on Krajewska-Kułak et al’s Trust in Nurse Scale and Anderson et al’s Trust in Physician Scale. Participants’ perceived stress will be assessed using Cohen et al’s Perceived Stress Scale. Feelings of safety will be examined based on Dryhurst et al’s questionnaire on Risk Perception During Pandemics. After ethical clearance, data will be collected using a postal paper questionnaire and via an online web link. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be computed, and the open question will undergo a qualitative thematic analysis. We will analyse perceptions of the different hospital trajectories experienced by patients undergoing surgery with and without a SARS-CoV-2 infection.Ethics and disseminationThe Human Research Ethics Committee of Vaud (2020-02025) authorised this study. Gathering experiences and learning about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social determinants of health among discharged patients and families fit in well with the Triple Aim framework and the PREMs survey. The study will formulate recommendations to support interventions in the face of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and their effects on patients’ and their family caregivers’ experiences.
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries introduced temporary visiting restrictions on the relatives of acute care hospital patients, whether or not they were infected with SARS-CoV-2. This affected relatives’ psychological and emotional states and how closely they could be involved in their loved one’s hospitalization. Study Aims: Investigate relatives’ experiences of visiting restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave and of the support offered by Valais Hospital’s healthcare staff. Method: Relatives and patients who had been discharged between February 28 and May 13, 2020, were asked to complete a patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) questionnaire, whether or not they had been infected by SARS-CoV-2. Relatives were asked about how visiting restrictions had affected them, their perceptions of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the quality of communication concerning their loved ones’ health status during their hospitalization, and the information received from healthcare staff. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. Results: Of 866 PREMs questionnaires returned, 818 were analyzable, and 543 relatives had experienced visiting restrictions to their loved ones: 92 relatives (87%) of COVID-19 patients and 451 relatives (66%) of non-infected patients, with heterogenous effects on their psychological and affective status. Overall, whether or not relatives were subjected to visiting restrictions, they perceived themselves to be well treated, well informed, and that communication with hospital healthcare staff was satisfactory. However, relatives subjected to visiting restrictions reported significantly lower scores on the quality of communication than other relatives. The relatives of patients in gynecology/obstetrics and internal medicine wards were significantly more affected by visiting restrictions than were the relatives of patients in other wards. Numerous relatives subjected to visiting restrictions reported regular communication with their loved ones or with healthcare staff, at least once a day (n = 179), either via videoconferences using FaceTime®, WhatsApp®, Zoom®, or Skype® or via mobile phone text messages. Discussion Visiting restrictions affected relatives differently depending on the wards their loved ones were hospitalized in. Healthcare institutions should investigate the utility of visiting restrictions on patients, how they affect relatives, and how to improve personalized patient–relative communications.
AimTo investigate experiences of stress, feelings of safety, trust in healthcare staff and perceptions of the severity of a SARS-CoV-2 infection among inpatients discharged from Valais Hospital, Switzerland, during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave.MethodsDischarged patients aged 18 years or more (n=4665), hospitalised between 28 February and 11 May 2020, whether they had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 or not, were asked to complete a self-reporting questionnaire, as were their informal caregivers, if available (n=866). Participants answered questions from Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (0=no stress, 40=severe stress), Krajewska-Kułak et al’s Trust in Nurses Scale and Anderson and Dedrick’s Trust in Physician Scale (10=no trust, 50=complete trust), the severity of a SARS-CoV-2 infection (1=not serious, 5=very serious), as well as questions on their perceived feelings of safety (0=not safe, 10=extremely safe).ResultsOf our 1341 respondents, 141 had been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Median PSS score was 24 (IQR1–3=19–29), median trust in healthcare staff was 33 (IQR1–3=31–36), median perceived severity of a SARS-CoV-2 infection was 4 (IQR1−3=3–4) and the median feelings of safety score was 8 (IQR1–3=8–10). Significant differences were found between males and females for PSS scores (p<0.001) and trust scores (p<0.001). No significant differences were found between males and females for the perceived severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection scores (p=0.552) and the feelings of safety (p=0.751). Associations were found between age and trust scores (Rs=0.201), age and perceived SARS-CoV-2 severity scores (Rs=0.134), sex (female) and perceived stress (Rs=0.114), and sex (female) and trust scores (Rs=0.137). Associations were found between SARS-CoV-2 infected participants and the perceived SARS-CoV-2 severity score (Rs=−0.087), between trust scores and feelings of safety (Rs=0.147), and perceived severity of a SARS-CoV-2 infection (Rs=0.123).DiscussionThe results indicated that inpatients experienced significant feelings of stress regarding perceived symptoms of the illness, yet this did not affect their feelings of safety, trust in healthcare staff or perception of the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Future patient-reported experience measures research is needed to give a voice to healthcare users and facilitate comparison measures internationally.
BACKGROUND Hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 should recover within a few weeks. However, even those with mild versions can have signs and symptoms that last four weeks or longer. These post-COVID conditions (PCCs) comprise various new, returning, or ongoing conditions and symptoms that can last months, years, or cause disability. OBJECTIVE Investigate self-reported, persistent PCCs among patients discharged during the pandemic’s second and third waves. METHODS Following a literature review, an ad hoc questionnaire on PCCs was designed, pretested on four discharged patients, and sent to all eligible inpatients discharged between October 2020 and April 2021. At 4–6 months after discharge, we collected data on PCCs and scores for the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), a Brief Memory Screening Scale (Q3PC), and a post-traumatic stress disorder scale (PCL-5). Descriptive, inferential, and multivariate linear regression statistics were computed to assess PCC symptomatology, associations, and differences regarding sociodemographic characteristics and hospital length of stay (LOS). RESULTS Of 1994 valid questionnaires, 1749 were returned by non-infected patients and 245 were returned by SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. The overall sample’s median age was 64 (62 and 71 for the non-infected and infected, respectively). Only 28.2% of SARS-CoV-2 infected respondents were symptom-free after 4–6 months. Significant differences were found between men’s and women’s numbers of PCC symptoms (p=.003) and LOS (p>.001). No significant differences were found between age groups (p=.500) and hospitalization units (p=.092). Significant differences were found between the self-reported PHQ-4 scores during the hospitalization and four months after (p<.001), with higher scores among hospitalized patients. Three-quarters (76.4%) of the respondents affected by COVID-19 reported memory loss and concentration disorders (Q3PC). No significant differences regarding the median MFI score of 56 were found in the sociodemographic variables. Significant differences were found between the median PCL-5 score and LOS, with higher scores among respondents with longer stays (p = .009). Multivariate linear regression allowed us to calculate that the combination of PHQ-4, Q3PC, and PCL-5 scores, adjusted for age, sex, and LOS, did not significantly predict MFI scores (R2 = 0.093 (F (3/197) = 1.500; p = .216 adjusted R2 = .061.). CONCLUSIONS The majority of inpatients infected with SARS-CoV-2 presented with PCCs at 4–6 months after discharge, with complex clinical pictures. Only one-third of those infected were symptom-free during that time. More research is needed to explore PCCs based on the self-reported health experiences of discharged inpatients who have been infected by SARS-CoV-2. CLINICALTRIAL not applicable
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.