Home Management and Self-Monitoring in a Patient with Chronic Asthma Suffering from Mild COVID-19: A Case Report

The second wave of COVID-19 in India during mid-February has brought an unwarranted fear due to high morbidity and mortality. Instead of being perceived as a panic situation, the depleting medical resources of the country warrant better self-monitoring and medical compliance by the people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection. This strategy can help in diverting the limited medical aid to those who are suffering with severe COVID-19 infection. As a ray of positivity, we report mild COVID-19 in a patient with a history of severe asthma. The patient successfully managed herself at home with remote medical consultation, medication compliance, intensive self-monitoring, and self-proning as key measures.

Home management of COVID-19 symptomatic patients: a safety study on COVID committed home medical teams.

To reduce the overburden in the hospital, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some "COVID Committed Home Medical Teams" (CCHTs) were created in Italy. These units consist of a small pool of general practitioners who aim to evaluate all patients with COVID-19 who require a medical examination directly at home. After the first visit (which can end with patient hospitalisation or home management), CCHTs periodically monitor the patients' clinical conditions and vital signs (usually a revaluation every 24-48 hours, except for a sudden worsening). However, this strategy - which reduces the pressure on hospitals - has never been evaluated for patient safety. Our study aims to determine whether a home-based monitoring and treatment strategy for non-severe COVID-19 patients was safe as direct hospital admission by the emergency department. We conducted a retrospective observational study about 1,182 patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 between September 2020 and April 2021, confronting in-hospital and 30-day mortality in both CCHT-referred (n=275) and directly admitted by emergency department (n=907). Patients assessed by the CCHT had lower in-hospital and 30-day mortality (18% vs 28%, p=0.001; and 20% vs 30%, p=0.002); but, in the propensity score matching comparison, there was no characteristic between the two groups turned out significantly different. CCHT did not correlate with in-hospital or 30-day mortality. CCHT is a safe strategy to reduce hospital overburden for COVID-19 during pandemic surges.

A Home-Treatment Algorithm Based on Anti-inflammatory Drugs to Prevent Hospitalization of Patients With Early COVID-19: A Matched-Cohort Study (COVER 2).

Background and Aim: While considerable success has been achieved in the management of patients hospitalized with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), far less progress has been made with early outpatient treatment. We assessed whether the implementation of a home treatment algorithm-designed based on a pathophysiologic and pharmacologic rationale-and including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, especially relatively selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and, when needed, corticosteroids, anticoagulants, oxygen therapy and antibiotics-at the very onset of mild COVID-19 symptoms could effectively reduce hospital admissions. Methods: This fully academic, matched-cohort study evaluated outcomes in 108 consecutive consenting patients with mild COVID-19, managed at home by their family doctors between January 2021 and May 2021, according to the proposed treatment algorithm and in 108 age-, sex-, and comorbidities-matched patients on other therapeutic schedules (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04854824). The primary outcome was COVID-19-related hospitalization. Analyses were by intention-to-treat. Results: One (0.9%) patient in the "recommended" cohort and 12 (11.1%) in the "control" cohort were admitted to hospital (P = 0.0136). The proposed algorithm reduced the cumulative length of hospital stays by 85% (from 141 to 19 days) as well as related costs (from €60.316 to €9.058). Only 9.8 patients needed to be treated with the recommended algorithm to prevent one hospitalization event. The rate of resolution of major symptoms was numerically-but not significantly-higher in the "recommended" than in the "control" cohort (97.2 vs. 93.5%, respectively; P = 0.322). Other symptoms lingered in a smaller proportion of patients in the "recommended" than in the "control" cohort (20.4 vs. 63.9%, respectively; P < 0.001), and for a shorter period. Conclusion: The adoption of the proposed outpatient treatment algorithm during the early, mild phase of COVID-19 reduced the incidence of subsequent hospitalization and related costs.

Home Management of COVID-19 Patients: A Successful Model in Non-severe COVID-19 Patients in the Developing World.

Background Around 80-85% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases were reported to have mild disease and home treatment of such patients was proved to be effective without significant morbidity or mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the outcome of home management of non-severe COVID-19 infection in healthcare providers in the developing world. Methods This observational cohort study was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases from June 2020 till January 2021. It included health care workers who tested positive for COVID-19 with non-severe infection and received home treatment. The COVID-19 management team monitored their symptoms and oxygen saturation over the phone. Need-based lab tests, X-rays, home proning, steroids, and oxygen were administered along with the standard intuitional management strategies. Study outcomes included duration of recovery, need for hospitalization, and expiry. Results A total of 128 patients were included, out of which 98 (76.6%) were male, and the mean age was 32.9 ± 5.9 years. Fever was the most common symptom, seen in 89.8% of patients. Most of the patients (85.9%) had no pre-existing comorbidities. Five patients received home oxygen therapy, seven received steroid therapy, and one received home pruning. The average time of recovery was 13.8 ± 8.1 days with no mortality; however, 14 (10.9%) patients were hospitalized due to worsening of symptoms. Conclusion Home treatment for COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate disease after appropriate risk assessment can be a safe and effective option to preserve hospital capacities for more needy and severely ill patients.

Caregiver Experiences Managing Persistent Childhood Asthma During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 has adversely affected child wellness, but it is unclear whether the pandemic led to changes in home management of chronic diseases like asthma. We surveyed 93 caregivers of children with persistent asthma from 2 ongoing asthma trials to measure changes in home asthma management, stressors, access to health care, and caregivers' worry about COVID-19 affecting their child's health. We conducted descriptive analyses, and assessed whether caregiver worry about COVID-19 was associated with asthma management, stressors, health care access, or recent symptoms. Most (80%) caregivers worried that COVID-19 would affect their child's health, and >50% restricted their child's physical activity to avoid asthma symptoms. We observed a dose-dependent relationship between increasing worry about COVID-19 and activity restrictions, financial hardship, difficulty obtaining asthma medications, and nocturnal asthma symptoms. These findings raise concern that children with persistent asthma may be at particular risk for weight gain and obesity-associated asthma morbidity due to the pandemic.

Home management scheme for patients with severe covid-19 in Duhok city, Kurdistan region of Iraq: a possible role for family physicians.

AIM: This study investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who were involved in the home management scheme in Duhok city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective descriptive study enrolled Kurdish patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19 between June 1 and November 1, 2020, and were treated at home. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 59.77 ± 14 years and 51 (56.04%) of them were males. Seven of these patients (7.69%) were smokers. Most patients (72.52%) had one or more comorbidities. Fever (87.1%) was the most commonly presented symptom in older patients. The case fatality rate was 3/91 (3.29%). This rate was not found to be associated with sex, history of smoking, or comorbidities. The age of deceased patients (40 ± 25 years) was significantly lower than that of cured patients (60 ± 13 years) (p = -0.025). CONCLUSIONS: The case fatality rate of patients enrolled in this scheme was comparable to those who received treatment in hospitals. Therefore, this scheme could provide a good alternative for treating patients with severe COVID-19 and family physicians could lead the scheme through the primary care network.

The Development and Operation of a Home Management System during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience of the Local Government Gyeonggi-do in Korea.

During the three the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surges in South Korea, there was a shortage of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, and as a result, there were cases of death while waiting for hospitalization. To minimize the risk of death and to allow those confirmed with COVID-19 to safely wait for hospitalization at home, the local government of Gyeonggi-do in South Korea developed a novel home management system (HMS). The HMS team, comprised of doctors and nurses, was organized to operate HMS. HMS provided a two-way channel for the taskforce and patients to monitor the severity of patient's condition and to provide healthcare counseling as needed. In addition, the HMS team cooperated with a triage/bed assignment team to expedite the response in case of an emergency, and managed a database of severity for real-time monitoring of patients. The HMS became operational for the first time in August 2020, initially managing only 181 patients; it currently manages a total of 3,707 patients. The HMS supplemented the government's COVID-19 confirmed case management framework by managing patients waiting at home for hospitalization due to lack of hospital and residential treatment center beds. HMS also could contribute a sense of psychological stability in patients and prevented the situation from worsening by efficient management of hospital beds and reduction of workloads on public healthcare centers. To stabilize and improve the management of COVID-19 confirmed cases, governments should organically develop self-treatment and HMS, and implement a decisive division of roles within the local governments.

Clinical Features of Patients with Home Isolation Sars-Cov-2 Infection: A Multicenter Retrospective Study in Southern Italy.

To describe epidemiological and clinical features of patients confirmed as having SARS-CoV-2 infection and managed in isolation at home. We performed a multicenter retrospective study enrolling all SARS-CoV-2-positive adults evaluated from 28 February to 31 May 2020 at one of nine COVID-19 Units in southern Italy: we included patients receiving care at home and those admitted to hospital. We defined patients with not-severe disease if they were asymptomatic or experienced a mild infection that did not need oxygen (O2) therapy and those with a severe infection if hospitalized and required O2 therapy. We enrolled 415 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: 77 were managed in isolation at home, 338 required hospital management. The 77 patients in home isolation were less frequently male than hospitalized patients (55% vs. 64%; <0.01) and were younger (median age 45 years (IQR:19) vs. 62 (IQR 22); p < 0.01), had a lower Charlson comorbidity index (median 0 (IQR2) vs. 6 (IQR 3); p < 0.01), and included fewer subjects with an underlying chronic disease (36% vs. 59%; p < 0.01). According to a binomial logistic regression analysis, a younger age (OR: 0.96 (95% IC: 0.94-0.98), p < 0.01) and a low Charlson comorbidity index (OR: 0.66 (95% IC: 0.54-0.83); p < 0.01) were independent factors associated with at-home management. The identification of subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infection who could be managed in home isolation is useful in clinical practice. A younger age and no comorbidities were identified as factors independently associated with home management.

Home Management of Children With COVID-19 in the Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy.

In most children, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a mild or moderate disease. Moreover, in a relevant number of cases, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains totally asymptomatic. All these findings seem to suggest that otherwise healthy children with suspected COVID-19 might be managed in the community in most cases, thus avoiding hospital admission and closely related medical, social and economic problems, including overwhelming hospitals. Unfortunately, home management of children with suspected COVID-19 rarely occurs, and many children with suspected or laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection are frequently hospitalized irrespective of the severity of disease. To evaluate the role of community health houses (CHHs) in the management of children with COVID-19, 1,009 children with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection were studied in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. Among them, 194 (19.2%) resulted positive for SARS-CoV-2. The majority (583, 58%) were tested at home by CHHs, while 426 (42%) were brought to the hospital for testing. The patients who were managed in the hospital had a significantly lower median age than those who were managed at home (2 vs. 12 years, p < 0.001). Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 cases within the family was significantly more frequent among those who were managed at home (82 vs. 46%, p < 0.05). The clinical findings were similar between the children who were managed at home and those who were managed in the hospital. Only one of the children managed at home (0.7%) required hospitalization; in comparison, 26 (48%) of those whose swab samples were taken at the hospital were hospitalized. Our research shows for the first time the importance of CHHs in the management of COVID-19 in children; because of the high frequency of mild to moderate cases, management by CHHs can reduce the care load in hospitals, providing enormous advantages on the familial, medical, social, and economic levels. These findings could be useful for suggesting a territorial rather than hospital-based strategy in pediatrics in the case of a new wave of the epidemic.

Management strategy of oral mucosal diseases during the epidemic of Corona Virus Disease 2019 / 口腔疾病防治

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has broke out in 29 countries and regions in the world in a short period since December 2019. Various measures of prevention and control have been taken all over China. At present, the epidemic situation shows a positive trend, however, there are still a few new comfirmed cases in some area of China. So the job and thinking of epidemic prevention still cannot be relaxed. As an important specialty of stomatology, the risk of cross infection is high in oral medicine. Establishing an effective system of pre- inspection and triage and adopting strict measures of prevention and control are essential. According to the prevention and control situation of COVID- 19, the characteristics of hospital infection, pre examination, protective measures, the home management strategies of oral mucosal diseases during the epidemic period and the differential diagnosis between COVID-19 and common oral muco- sal diseases with fever were summarized and recommended in this paper.