Practices in Follow-Up Care for COVID-19 Positive Patients in Home Isolation: A Retrospective Audit Study

Objective:To understand the practices of follow up of positive COVID-19 patients in home isolation. The objective is to evaluate adherence to established procedures, policies, and frameworks.

Design: This is a prospective observational study.

Setting: The study is conducted within the south western Sydney (SWS), encompassing both primary and secondary levels of care. Data are collected from multiple healthcare facilities within the district to ensure a representative sample.
Participant: A total of 510 files of the COVID-19 positive patients under home isolation in SWS were audited between August 2021 and October 2021. Data was collected from the electronic medical records.

Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures include adherence to follow-up procedures, frequency of patient monitoring, and utilization of technology such as pulse oximeters. Secondary outcome measures include changes in patient risk categorization and the need for escalation of care.

Results: Weekly file reviews revealed varying levels of adherence to follow-up procedures. The utilization of technology, such as pulse oximeter, increased over the audit period, indicating improvements in patient in-home monitoring practices. However, challenges such as ensuring daily follow-up calls and addressing outliers in follow-up timelines were identified.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of prospective review and feedback mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of follow-up care for COVID-19 positive patients in home isolation. Continuous quality improvement efforts, including the integration of technology and addressing workflow challenges, are necessary to optimize patient outcomes.