PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Thomas JC Ward
AU  - Akash Mavilakandy
AU  - Julie Danns
AU  - Georgios Tsaknis
AU  - Raja V Reddy
TI  - Outcomes from a virtual ward delivering oxygen at home for patients recovering from COVID-19: a real world observational study
AID  - 10.7861/clinmed.2021-0512
DP  - 2022 May 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 197--202
VI  - 22
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/22/3/197.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/22/3/197.full
SO  - Clin Med2022 May 01; 22
AB  - Background There is a lack of data on the safety of providing oxygen at home to stable patients recovering from COVID-19.Methods A retrospective analysis of patients discharged to a COVID-19 virtual ward (CVW) between January 2021 and March 2021 at a UK district general hospital was performed. Patients with improving clinical trajectories and oxygen requirements up to 4 L/minute were eligible. Outcomes measured were 30-day mortality and readmission rate.Results From 02 January 2021 to 16 March 2021 (74 days), 147 patients discharged to the CVW were included: 71 received continuous or ambulatory oxygen, and 76 received pulse oximetry monitoring only. Five patients were readmitted within 30 days and two patients died. There were no significant differences between readmission and mortality rates between those discharged with or without oxygen.Conclusion Provision of oxygen at home for selected patients recovering from COVID-19 is safe with low risk of readmission and death.