After Covid Diagnosis, Highest Health Care Utilization In First 30 Days

Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : January 24, 2022

According to a recent study done on hospital utilization rate among Covid patients, it was found that most patients used such services within the first one month after testing positive for Covid 19. This trend was similar with even those patients who did not have severe symptoms, and they also sought some sort of hospital care soon after diagnosis.

After Covid Diagnosis, Highest Health Care Utilization In First 30 Days

The researchers studied the hospitalization data for patients who tested positive for Covid 19. The health system tracked the hospitalization data for nearly six months after the patient tested positive for Covid infection.

After Covid Diagnosis, Highest Health Care Utilization In First 30 Days

It was evident that the first 30 days were very crucial as many patients needed some hospital care due to the infection.

When it came to the difference between hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients, it was clearly established that those who were admitted to hospitals used the hospital services more than those who were not hospitalized. According to researchers, the hospital visits gradually decreased over time after the first month in both cases.

During the initial 30 days after detecting the infection, hospitalized patients visited health care centers for nearly 12 times, whereas the non-hospitalized patients made over six visits to hospitals. Interestingly, most of the visits were done through telehealth facilities due to Covid restrictions in many regions.

The most common problems for which patients sought help were related to respiratory conditions and other Covid related symptoms like fever and body pain. Older adults and women with higher BMI sought more hospital services than others.

It is well known that the minority community was severely affected due to the pandemic. The main reason for this disparity was the lack of health care facilities among the community for a long period. Besides, vaccine hesitancy and lack of Covid norms also added to the complications. 

It is also clear that people from the low-income group were severely affected compared to the higher-income people. The results were consistent in this regard across the country, which established a clear trend in this direction.

Researchers feel that having such data will be crucial in developing future health policies that can provide the best treatment to all sections of people during a pandemic. The researchers were also able to identify the high-risk group among the participants, and this is an important point that should help scientists work towards preventing the pandemic. When the high-risk group is protected with the help of vaccines and other measures, the load on the health system will reduce to a large extent across the country.

It is also important to improve the telehealth services across the country as this will be the future of the healthcare system in the next few years. Apart from making health care available to remote areas, it will also save a lot of trouble for the patients during an infection. The burden on the hospitals will also come down to a large extent with such services as there is less number of patients in the hospital wards. This will also bring down the overall cost of accessing health services for the public.

Elderly patients need special attention during any pandemic situation as they usually have co-morbid conditions. Even when they are otherwise fine, elderly patients have weak immune systems due to age-related factors. They are more likely to suffer from health complications if infected with Covid-19. The health experts have suggested that elders should go for the booster dose as early as possible as this can give them added protection when it comes to preventing Covid infection. It can also prevent severe outcomes in case of an infection.


Nikki Attkisson

With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.

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