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Patients recovering from COVID‐19 pneumonia in sub‐acute care exhibit severe frailty: Role of the nurse assessment
Author(s) -
Mandora Elena,
Comini Laura,
Olivares Adriana,
Fracassi Michela,
Cadei Maria Grazia,
Paneroni Mara,
Marchina Lucia,
Suruniuc Adrian,
Luisa Alberto,
Scalvini Simonetta,
Corica Giacomo,
Vitacca Michele
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.15637
Subject(s) - covid-19 , pneumonia , medicine , nursing , betacoronavirus , intensive care medicine , pandemic , acute care , nursing assessment , medline , health care , virology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , economic growth , outbreak , political science , law
Aims and Objectives To document the level of frailty in sub‐acute COVID‐19 patients recovering from acute respiratory failure and investigate the associations between frailty, assessed by the nurse using the Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score (BRASS), and clinical and functional patient characteristics during hospitalisation. Background Frailty is a major problem in patients discharged from acute care, but no data are available on the frailty risk in survivors of COVID‐19 infection. Design A descriptive cross‐sectional study (STROBE checklist). Methods At admission to sub‐acute care in 2020, 236 COVID‐19 patients (median age 77 years – interquartile range 68–83) were administered BRASS and classified into 3 levels of frailty risk. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) was also administered to measure physical function and disability. Differences between BRASS levels and associations between BRASS index and clinical parameters were analysed. Results The median BRASS index was 14.0 (interquartile range 9.0–20.0) denoting intermediate frailty (32.2%, 41.1%, 26.7% of patients exhibited low, intermediate and high frailty, respectively). Significant differences emerged between the BRASS frailty classes regards to sex, comorbidities, history of cognitive deficits, previous mechanical ventilation support and SPPB score. Patients with no comorbidities (14%) exhibited low frailty (BRASS: median 5.5, interquartile range 3.0–12.0). Age ≥65 years, presence of comorbidities, cognitive deficit and SPPB % predicted <50% were significant predictors of high frailty. Conclusions Most COVID‐19 survivors exhibit substantial frailty and require continuing care after discharge from acute care. Relevance to clinical practice The BRASS index is a valuable tool for nurses to identify those patients most at risk of frailty, who require a programme of rehabilitation and community reintegration.