Hospital Days Reduced for Moderate and Severe COVID-19 Patients Through a Home Monitoring Program With Oxygen. (March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martinez, Jessica A.; Ehsan, Ariana; Mellady, Mary; Goldberg, Lisa; Martinez, Ryan A.
• Is Part Of: Clinical nursing research. Volume 32:Number 3(2023)
• Page Start: 601
• Page End: 607
• Publication Date: 2023-03
• Subjects: home monitoring program -- COVID-19 -- telemedicine -- telecare, home oxygen; Nursing -- Research -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; Clinical medicine -- Research -- Periodicals; 610.73
• DOI: 10.1177/10547738231155298
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1054-7738

Abstract

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain the healthcare system, it has also expanded telemedicine. There is a subset of hospitalized moderate to severe COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen but no other intervention. This is a retrospective study of patients ≥18 years with moderate to severe COVID-19 that participated in a home monitoring program with supplemental oxygen (HMP-O2 ) ( N = 25). For study outcomes, HMP-O2 participants were compared to patients meeting the same inclusion criteria but did not participate in the program ( N = 60). On average, the HMP-O2 patients spent 5.8 days (±5.5 days) in the hospital compared to 8.12 days (±5.5 days) for non-program patients. This resulted in 19% cost-savings for HMP-O2 patients. Lessons learned from this program can be applied to future HMPs for either COVID-19 or other conditions that would benefit from telecare.