Application of"family member-like"care strategies among COVID-19 patients in an isolation ward / 中南大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective:To control the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) effectively, strict isolation measures have been taken in China. Suspected patients must be isolated, and the confirmed patients specifically are isolated in negative-pressure isolation rooms. During the isolation, patients face difficulty in adapting to their surrounding environment, worry about the prognosis of the disease, lack confidence in treatment, separate from their families, and have a sense of distance from medical staff. Isolated patients may possess the feelings of negativity, including loneliness, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and despair. Hence, to reduce the risk of adverse psychological outcomes,"family member-like"care strategies were developed and implemented to solve problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine whether using"family member-like"care strategies can improve psychological resilience and reduce depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among patients with COVID-19 in an isolation ward.Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the"family member-like"care strategies for adult patients with COVID-19 in an isolation ward. COVID-19 patients in the Xiangya ward of the West District of the Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province, were included in this study from February 9 to March 20, 2020. Healthcare providers who volunteered as family members were assigned to patients. They practiced one-to-one care and provided continuous and whole care for the patients who were from admission to discharge. Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were used to evaluate the resilience and psychological status of COVID-19 inpatients upon hospital admission, 2 weeks after admission, and at their discharge from the hospital. Results: The questionnaire response rate of the"family member-like"strategies was 100％. Of the 60 patients, 39 (65.0％) were male, and 21 (35％) were female. The hospital stay was (27.5±3.5) days. All the 60 patients were cured and discharged without any death and serious complications. The total scores for CD-RISC were 8.83±6.86 at admission, 29.13±5.42 at 2 weeks after admission, and 33.87±6.14 at discharge, which were significantly improved at the 2 follow-ups (F=404.564, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis and repeated measurements also indicated that patients experienced significant improvements in tenacity (F=360.839, P<0.001), strength (F=368.217, P<0.001), and optimism (F=328.456, P<0.001) at the 2 follow-ups. The total scores of DASS-21 were 49.27±11.30 at admission, 30.77±16.71 at 2 weeks after admission, and 4.17±11.03 at discharge, and the scores were significantly decreased at the 2 follow-ups (F=270.536, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis and repeated measurements also indicated that patients experienced significant decreases in depression (F=211.938, P<0.001), anxiety (F=285.592, P<0.001), and stress (F=287.478, P<0.001) at the 2 follow-ups.Conclusion:"Family member-like"strategies had positive effects on improving psychological resilience and reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression of COVID-19 patients. It might be an effective care method for COVID-19 patients. It should be incorporated into emergency care management to improve care quality during public health emergencies of infectious diseases.