Our study is an extension of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Registry (COREG) platform  - a unique Kitchener-Waterloo-Hamilton registry of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 hospital admissions based on (and in collaboration with) the WHO International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC). The addition of a study extension to the COREG will allow us to follow hospitalised and recently discharged COVID-19 patients over the longer term in order to gain an understanding of the trajectory of functional recovery of the disease. Combining the primary data collection with COREG will also allow us to identify the determinants of long-term outcomes for at-risk adults. These data are necessary to guide the clinical care and optimal management of patients who survive serious COVID-19 illness.

OBJECTIVES

Our objectives are:

1)    To characterize the functional recovery of hospitalised patient diagnosed with COVID-19 at 3, 6, 9, and 12-months post-discharge;

2)    To examine determinants of functional outcomes after COVID-19 infection for middle-aged and older hospitalised patients.

DESIGN

Our prospective cohort study will assess patients upon admission to general internal medicine, at hospital discharge, and at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up. Admission and discharge data collection will be completed over the telephone, whereas 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-ups will be conducted via in-person home visits.

Measures collected will include:

Primary Measures

1.     Activity-Measure for Post-Acute Care (AMPAC)

Secondary Measures

1.     Clinical Frailty Scale (for older adults)

2.     Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R)

3.     Health-related quality of life

4.     Anxiety and depression

5.     Dyspnea

6.     Fatigue

7.     Spirometry

8.     Physical function via the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)

9.     Functional Independence Measure (FIM)

SITES

Our study is actively recruiting from 5 hospitals in Hamilton and Waterloo region.

• Grand River Hospital (GRH)

• Hamilton Health Sciences-Hamilton General (HGH)

• Hamilton Health Sciences-Juravinski Hospital (JH)

• St. Joseph’s Hamilton (SJH)

• St. Mary’s General Hospital (SMGH)

FUNDING

This project was funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR).

MORE INFORMATION

For more information or questions specific to the Extension Study, please contact Marla Beauchamp at beaucm1@mcmaster.ca or Tara Noble at mcdougat@mcmaster.ca.