Assessment of COVID-19 Management at Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital Swat: Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Background: This research aimed to assess the current care management processes for COVID-19 and determine patient outcomes. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Saidu group of teaching hospital, a tertiary care hospital with more than a thousand-bed capacity. The target population was all patients admitted to the corona isolation ward and the hospital's critical unit. All the patients admitted through the emergency and inpatient department with Positive PCR, and respiratory symptoms were included in the study. Results: In total, data of 151 patients were collected. Of these, 90 (59.6%) were male and 61 (40.4%) were female with a mean age of 59.17±13.79. The most common presenting symptoms were difficulty in breathing (n=147, 97.4%) and dry cough (n=104, 68.9%), followed by aches and pain (n=71, 47%) and fever (n=60, 39.7%). Most of the patients had an underlying health condition (n=96, 63.6%). The most common underlying conditions were hypertension (n=65, 43%) and diabetes (n=56, 37.1%). The mean time for the hospital stay was 11.68±15.31. About 64% of the patients recovered with the treatment and care protocols (n=97, 64.2%), while the remaining (n=54, 35.8%) died. Conclusion: This study provides an overview of the clinical presentation and treatment protocol for COVID-19. Most of the patients received supportive treatment comprising of antivirals, steroids, and oxygen therapy. However, the mortality rate was low compared to other hospitals across the country.