COVID-19, evolution in patients and influence of the pandemic on health care and its outcomes in chronic pathologies outcomes in chronic pathologies

Record no.: PI18/00824

Project description: 

Objectives: 

1) To assess changes in health care and health service utilisation in patients with chronic conditions such as COPD, heart failure and major depression between 2017-2019 and the years 2020-2022, the COVID pandemic period, and their relationship with clinical outcomes (in terms of mortality, change in disease severity, increase in associated diseases, admissions) and changes in health-related quality of life.

2) To evaluate the healthcare provided to a cohort of patients diagnosed with SARSCOV-2 (COVID-19 positive) during 2020 in terms of accessibility, equity and outcomes.

3) To evaluate the evolution of the cohort of patients diagnosed with SARSCOV-2 after two years of follow-up since diagnosis and to create clinical prediction rules for symptom persistence.

Methodology:

Design: cohort study with prospective follow-up of 4 pre-formed cohorts between 2017 and 2020 to be followed until 2022.

Scope:

The University Hospitals of Araba (Alava), Cruces (Vizcaya), Santa Marina (Bilbao, Vizcaya), Basurto (Bilbao, Vizcaya), Donostia (San Sebastian, Guipuzkoa), Galdakao-Usansolo (Galdakao, Vizcaya), and Mental Health Centres of Basauri, Galdakao, Derio, Uribe, and Ortuella participate.

Study subjects:

Four cohorts already created in previous projects are included: three of chronic patients, COPD (1400 patients), heart failure (1093 patients), and major depression (433 patients), all from 2017, and for which baseline information is available to follow-up the health care they received in 2017-19 compared to those received during 2020-22 and the changes occurred in their health-related quality of life from baseline based on generic and specific questionnaires for each of the pathologies included.

Another cohort of COVID-19 positive patients admitted in 2020 (3038 patients) will be included, in whom the services received will be evaluated and any persistent symptoms they may have had will be monitored for up to two years after their index admission in order to develop tools for predicting the persistence of symptoms in the medium to long term.


Funding body:  

This project is co-financed by Carlos III Health Institute, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)-”A way to make Europe”.