Health-related quality of life of COVID-19 patients after discharge: A multicenter follow-up study

Aims and objectives: To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of COVID-19 patients after discharge and its predicting factors.

Background: COVID-19 has caused a worldwide pandemic and led a huge impact on the health of human and daily life. It has been demonstrated that physical and psychological conditions of hospitalised COVID-19 patients are impaired, but the studies focus on physical and psychological conditions of COVID-19 patients after discharge from hospital are rare.

Design: A multicentre follow-up study.

Methods: This was a multicentre follow-up study of COVID-19 patients who had discharged from six designated hospitals. Physical symptoms and HRQoL were surveyed at first follow-up (the third month after discharge). The latest multiple laboratory findings were collected through medical examination records. This study was performed and reported in accordance with STROBE checklist.

Results: Three hundred eleven patients (57.6%) were reported with one or more physical symptoms. The scores of HRQoL of COVID-19 patients at third month after discharge, except for the dimension of general health, were significantly lower than Chinese population norm (p < .001). Results of logistic regression showed that female (odds ratio (OR): 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-3.06), older age (≥60 years) (OR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.33-4.47) and the physical symptom after discharge (OR: 40.15, 95% CI: 9.68-166.49) were risk factors for poor physical component summary; the physical symptom after discharge (OR: 6.68, 95% CI: 4.21-10.59) was a risk factor for poor mental component summary.

Conclusions: Health-related quality of life of discharged COVID-19 patients did not come back to normal at third month after discharge and affected by age, sex and the physical symptom after discharge.

Relevance to clinical practice: Healthcare workers should pay more attention to the physical and psychological rehabilitation of discharged COVID-19 patients. Long-term follow-up on COVID-19 patients after discharge is needed to determine the long-term impact of COVID-19.