Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nursing Homes (Aragón, Spain): Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors Associated With Hospitalization and Mortality

Autor: Isabel Aguilar-Palacio, Lina Maldonado, Iván Marcos-Campos, Sara Castel-Feced, Sara Malo, Carlos Aibar, MªJosé Rabanaque
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 10 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2296-2565
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.928174
Popis: Old people residing in nursing homes have been a vulnerable group to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with high rates of infection and death. Our objective was to describe the profile of institutionalized patients with a confirmed COVID-19 infection and the socioeconomic and morbidity factors associated with hospitalization and death. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including data from subjects aged 65 years or older residing in a nursing home with a confirmed COVID-19 infection from March 2020 to March 2021 (4,632 individuals) in Aragón (Spain). We analyzed their sociodemographic and clinical profiles and factors related to hospitalization and mortality at 7, 30, and 90 days of COVID-19 diagnosis using logistic regression analyses. We found that the risk of hospitalization and mortality varied according to sociodemographic and morbidity profile. There were inequalities in hospitalization by socioeconomic status and gender. Patients with low contributory pensions and women had a lower risk of hospitalization. Diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease were associated with a higher risk of hospitalization. On the contrary, people with dementia showed the highest risk of mortality with no hospitalization. Patient-specific factors must be considered to develop equitable and effective measures in nursing homes to be prepared for future health threats.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals