Health, social, and economic characteristics of patients enrolled in a COVID-19 recovery program

Abstract

At least one in five people who recovered from acute COVID-19 have persistent clinical symptoms, however little is known about the impact on quality-of-life (QOL), socio-economic characteristics, fatigue, work and productivity. We present a cross-sectional descriptive characterization of the clinical symptoms, QOL, socioeconomic characteristics, fatigue, work and productivity of a cohort of patients enrolled in the MedStar COVID Recovery Program (MSCRP). Our participants include people with mental and physical symptoms following recovery from acute COVID-19 and enrolled in MSCRP, which is designed to provide comprehensive multidisciplinary care and aid in recovery. Participants completed medical questionnaires and the PROMIS-29, Fatigue Severity Scale, Work and Productivity Impairment Questionnaire, and Social Determinants of Health surveys. Participants (n = 267, mean age 47.6 years, 23.2% hospitalized for COVID-19) showed impaired QOL across all domains assessed with greatest impairment in physical functioning (mean 39.1 ± 7.4) and fatigue (mean 60.6 ±. 9.7). Housing or "the basics" were not afforded by 19% and food insecurity was reported in 14% of the cohort. Participants reported elevated fatigue (mean 4.7 ± 1.1) and impairment with activity, work productivity, and on the job effectiveness was reported in 63%, 61%, and 56% of participants, respectively. Patients with persistent mental and physical symptoms following initial illness report impairment in QOL, socioeconomic hardships, increased fatigue and decreased work and productivity. Our cohort highlights that even those who are not hospitalized and recover from less severe COVID-19 can have long-term impairment, therefore designing, implementing, and scaling programs to focus on mitigating impairment and restoring function are greatly needed.