After being hospitalized with COVID-19, many people experience difficulties with their emotions – things like mood, worries/tension, difficulty sleeping. Many also have problems with how their brain works – things like thinking clearly, planning, and paying attention. Their family members may also feel very stressed and overwhelmed.

These difficulties can last many months and make it difficult to get back to normal life. This study will examine in detail these difficulties for patients and their family members one year after the patient was discharged from the hospital. Patients and family members will complete a psychological assessment that includes patients completing tasks that measure how they plan, think, pay attention and organize. Patients and their family members will also answer questions about their emotions and symptoms they may have.

We have information about these patients and family members from the time they were in the hospital one year ago until now, and we will therefore be able to examine how aspects of their illness, emotional and brain functioning are impacting their current symptoms.

Patients and their family members will also be asked about their experiences with COVID-19 illness, being in the hospital, how their recovery has been, and what they think would be helpful to support them in the recovery process. The findings from this study will help us understand what kinds of healthcare, information and support people need after they have been hospitalized with COVID-19. We will share these findings with other researchers and health care providers/organizations caring for people recovering from COVID-19.

Panel Writeup

The long-term impact of COVID-19

A summary of the literature so far on the long-term effects of COVID-19 (sourced from UpToDate):

- “Psychological and cognitive complaints are also common during recovery from acute COVID-19 and may be seen more commonly than in those recovering from similar illnesses (e.g.,Carfi et al 2020, Xiong et al, 2021, Taquet et al, 2021a). In one study of 100 patients with acute COVID-19 who were discharged from the hospital, 24 percent reported PTSD, 18 percent had new or worsened problems with memory, and 16 percent had new or worsened problems with concentration; numbers were higher among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (Halpin et al, 2021). In other studies, almost one-half of COVID-19 survivors reported a worsened quality of life (Carfi et al, 2021, Wong et al 2020), 22 percent had anxiety/depression (Wong et al 2021), and 23 percent of patients were found to have persistent psychological symptoms at three months (Xiong et al, 2021). Among ICU survivors, another study reported anxiety in 23 percent, depression in 18 percent, and posttraumatic symptoms in 7 percent (Writing Committee for the COMEBAC Study Group, 2021).”

- “…a retrospective examination of electronic health records in the United States reported that the risk of developing a new psychiatric illness following COVID-19 was higher compared with those recovering from other medical illnesses such as influenza (Taquet et al, 2021b).”

- “…Persistent symptoms can affect functional ability. As examples: In one retrospective study of approximately 1300 hospitalized COVID-19 patients discharged to home, despite home health services, only 40 percent of patients were independent in all activities of daily living (ADLs) at 30 days (Bowles et al, 2021). In another study, almost 40 percent of patients were unable to return to normal activities at 60 days following hospital discharge (Chopra et al, 2021). In another study of 219 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19, 53 percent had limited functional impairment (as measured by the Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB] score and two-minute walking test) at four months (Bellan et al, 2021).”