Hospital discharge and multidisciplinary guidelines for elderly patients with COVID-19: integrative review

Abstract

Abstract Objective to search for available scientific evidence on multidisciplinary guidelines offered by health professionals to older patients diagnosed with COVID-19 after hospital discharge. Method an integrative literature review was carried out on the databases/virtual library selected: Lilacs, MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scopus and CINAHL (EBSCO). The search strategy involved use of combinations with the following Health Science Descriptors (DeCS) and Medical Subject Headings (Mesh): Elderly (Aged); Covid-19; Aftercare and Patient Discharge combined using Boolean operators “AND” and “OR”. Results relevant articles published between January 2019 and January 2022 were identified, of which four were retrieved for inclusion and analysis. The selected studies addressed the theme of continuity of care with the perspective of intervention in health rehabilitation and symptom management and/or supervision of the functional recovery of older patients, with guidelines devised by an interprofessional team. Conclusion the study revealed the scarcity of publications on the topic of guidance provided by health care teams to older patients from the perspective of hospital discharge. The study also served to highlight the importance and need for future scientific output addressing the functional impact of COVID-19 on this population, from hospital admission to post-discharge at home, supported by strategic actions or institutional protocols that disseminate educational information preparing patients for hospital discharge and promoting self-care, well-being and quality of life of older people.