COVID-19 outpatient management: Shorter time to recovery in Healthcare workers according to an electronic daily symptoms assessment

Infect Dis Now. 2021 Feb;51(1):71-76. doi: 10.1016/j.medmal.2020.10.001. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Abstract

Objectives: Our aim is to compare the course of the disease between healthcare workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs suffering from covid-19 and eligible for outpatient management.

Methods: Single-center prospective cohort of outpatients with covid-19, diagnosed between the 10th March and the 2nd April, 2020 with a daily collection of symptoms by an on-line auto-questionnaire.

Results: A total of 186 patients were included (median age, 41 years [interquartile range, 19-78 years]; 74.2% female), of whom 132 (71%) were HCWs. The median follow-up after symptom onset was 14 (min 4-max 24) days. HCWs were significantly younger than non-HCWs (median age 40.3 years vs. 47.2 years [P<0.005]), and 81.8% were women. Four patients (2.2%) were hospitalized including one HCW. The median time to recovery was 9 days after symptom onset (95% CI 8-11) in the global population and respectively 8 (95% CI 8-9) and 13 (95% CI 11-15) days in HCWs and in non-HCWs (P<0.005). After adjusting for age, co-morbidities, and gender, the instantaneous risk ratio for symptom absence in HCWs was 1.76 compared with non-HCWs (95% CI [1.16-2.67], P=0.037).

Conclusion: HCWs suffering from covid-19 had favorable outcomes and had a shorter time to recovery than non HCWs.

Keywords: Covid-19; Healthcare professionals; Healthcare workers; Outcomes; Outpatient.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Health Personnel / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Outpatients / statistics & numerical data*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Recovery of Function
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Symptom Assessment*