Clinical presentation and outcomes of hospitalized adults with COVID‐19: A systematic review

Abstract

Aims The aims of this review were to: (a) determine the clinical presentation; and (b) outcomes of adult hospitalized patients with COVID‐19 to provide practicing nurses with a cogent and concise clinical impression of COVID‐19 patients. Design We conducted a systematic review of early published, peer‐reviewed, original research where researchers presented data from adult hospitalized COVID‐19 patients regarding their presenting signs, symptoms, and definitive survival outcomes. Data Sources We searched the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus for relevant articles published between 1 January 2020 ‐18 May 2020. Review Methods We extracted data from each study and synthesized them across primary sources using a literature matrix table to provide a global impression of this rapidly growing body of literature. Results We retrieved 97 mainly descriptive observational studies. SARS‐CoV‐2 is efficiently transmitted between humans, particularly those in close contact. Symptomatic COVID‐19 patients can present with a broad array of nonspecific symptoms. Fever and cough are the most commonly reported symptoms; some patients have atypical presentations. In patients with respiratory decompensation, disease progression can be rapid. Some patients experience mild symptoms that are self‐limited; others experience organ failure and death. Risk factors for poor outcomes include older age, chronic medical conditions, male gender, obesity, and presenting with signs of declining respiratory status. Conclusion Nurses can mitigate the spread of SARS‐CoV‐2 and sequelae of COVID‐19 with prompt and capable responses. Impact This study addresses the problem of the continued spread of SARS‐CoV‐2 while little is known about this virus. This review provides nurses with a summary of the most current evidence regarding the signs, symptoms, and outcomes of adult hospitalized COVID‐19 patients that they might identify COVID‐19 patients rapidly on presentation to medical care and be attuned to indicators of patient decompensation.

Missed nursing care during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A comparative observational study

“…The most common reported symptoms such as fever, cough, dyspnoea, myalgia and fatigue (Hassan et al., 2020) were not considered problematic. More stressing was that disease progression in the literature was described to be rapid in patients with respiratory decompensation (Keller et al., 2020) and that reported complications among COVID‐19 patients included acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute cardiac injury, acute renal injury, secondary infections and multiple organ failure. Moreover, there were a growing number of studies presenting new or atypical clinical manifestations, new laboratory findings and new treatment outcomes (Tahvildari et al., 2020).…”

Health and Gender Inequalities of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Adverse Impacts on Women's Health, Wealth and Social Welfare

“…We do not yet know the long term health consequences of this level of exposure. Whereas, women make up a smaller percentage of the severe COVID-19 cases presenting in hospitals ( 7 ), they seem to be more likely to suffer from long-COVID-19 ( 8 ).…”

Systematic Organization of COVID-19 Data Supported by the Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework

“…These initial efforts have focused on the most frequently reported outcomes of COVID-19, that is, effects on the lungs including pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, and fibrosis. As mentioned previously, it is now clear that COVID-19 also affects other organs, including the cardiovascular system, the kidneys, and the nervous system, as well as multi-organ failure due to systemic dysfunction (10,15,16). In addition, sex-related differences and chronic effects such as development of fibrotic lesions in the lungs are becoming increasingly evident (17)(18)(19).…”