Journal of Nursing & Care

Extended Care for People after a Concluded Hospital Treatment for Coronavirus Disease

Abstract

Zdenka Tičar* and Klavdija Kobal Straus

Introduction: The emergence of covid-19 called for a flexible response to the newly emerging situation, also in relation to providing healthcare for people after recovering from the coronavirus disease. This paper summarises the findings of the implementation of an extended care programme, which was established with the aim of providing support to patients who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection and were unable to return to their home environment after hospital treatment due to insufficient self-care.

Methods: Descriptive and quantitative methods were used in the analysis. Correlation and regression coefficients were calculated to test the hypotheses. The analysis included data from 153 patients who were part of the extended care programme during the period from 21 April 2021 to 15 February 2022. Given the small amount of data and the uneven distribution, the non-parametric Spearman's rank correlation test was used to test the correlation of the individual data.

Results: Based on the analysis of the data on providing extended care, it was concluded that extended care contributed to a higher level of patients' independence. Patient progress on the Functional Independence Measure shows that the age of the patient and the structure of the services required by the patient are not directly correlated with the number of points achieved on the Functional Independence Measure at the end of extended care. The number of points achieved on the Functional Independence Measure at the end of extended care is statistically significantly correlated with the number of points achieved on the scale at the start of extended care. The results show that progress on the Functional Independence Measure is not statistically significantly related to the age of the patients included in extended care. Patients aged 85 years or older make comparable progress on the Functional Independence Measure as patients younger than 85 years. The results of the analysis show the need for systemic planning of rehabilitation programmes for all age groups, in particular tailored programmes for older people after hospitalisation, with the aim of strengthening their independence, enabling them to return to their home environment and to live as independent and active a life as possible.