Investigations, outcomes and onward referrals of 1325 individuals referred to the post-COVID-19 assessment clinic
| Overall (N=1325) | Hospitalised (n=547) | Non-hospitalised (n=566) | ED (n=212) | P value* | |
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Investigations | |||||
| Chest X-ray | 694 (52.4) | 355 (64.9) | 204 (36.0) | 135 (63.7) | <0.001 |
| CT pulmonary angiogram with HRCT precontrast | 204 (15.4) | 104 (19.0) | 64 (11.3) | 36 (17.0) | 0.001 |
| Pulmonary embolism detected on scans performed | 12 (5.9) | 9 (8.7) | 1 (1.6) | 2 (5.6) | 0.159 |
| Persistent interstitial abnormalities on scans performed | 63 (30.9) | 49 (47.1) | 8 (12.5) | 6 (16.7) | <0.001 |
| Echocardiogram | 330 (24.9) | 121 (22.1) | 160 (28.3) | 49 (23.1) | 0.048 |
| Ejection fraction <55% in investigations performed | 7 (2.1) | 3 (2.5) | 4 (2.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0.763 |
| Holter monitor | 222 (16.8) | 51 (9.3) | 143 (25.3) | 28 (13.2) | <0.001 |
| 6 min walk test | 142 (10.7) | 24 (4.4) | 98 (17.3) | 20 (9.4) | <0.001 |
| Cardiac MRI | 76 (5.7) | 31 (5.7) | 33 (5.8) | 12 (5.7) | 0.992 |
| Mild myocarditis on scans performed | 24 (31.6) | 9 (29.0) | 15 (45.5) | 0 (0) | 0.008 |
| Brain MR | 40 (3.0) | 27 (4.9) | 9 (1.6) | 4 (1.9) | 0.004 |
| Lung function | 17 (1.3) | 8 (1.5) | 9 (1.6) | 0 (0.0) | 0.171 |
| Sleep study | 8 (0.6) | 3 (0.5) | 4 (0.7) | 1 (0.5) | ~1.000 |
| Sit-to-stand test | 749 (56.5) | 238 (43.5) | 415 (73.3) | 96 (45.3) | <0.001 |
| Post-test oxygen saturation ≤92% in tests undertaken | 58 (7.7) | 35 (14.7) | 18 (4.3) | 5 (5.2) | <0.001 |
| Discharged at first appointment | 98 (58–170) | 63 (46–101) | 183 (118–329) | 72 (51–112) | <0.001 |
| At least one follow-up visit | 126 (70–221) | 80 (59–126) | 198 (124–274) | 89 (58–172) | <0.001 |
| First visit outcomes | |||||
| Discharged from clinic | 740 (55.8) | 338 (61.8) | 288 (50.9) | 114 (53.8) | <0.001 |
| Specialist referral | 234 (17.7) | 88 (16.1) | 106 (18.7) | 40 (18.9) | 0.452 |
| Seen by physiotherapist | 776 (58.6) | 236 (43.1) | 398 (70.3) | 142 (67.0) | <0.001 |
| Psychology referrals to iAPT | Advised if GAD-2 or PHQ-2 elevated (see table 1): patients can self refer to this service. | ||||
| Specialist referral | |||||
| Cardiology | 110 (8.3) | 41 (7.5) | 46 (8.1) | 23 (10.8) | 0.317 |
| Neurology | 125 (9.4) | 26 (4.8) | 87 (15.4) | 12 (5.7) | <0.001 |
| ENT | 31 (2.3) | 4 (0.7) | 20 (3.5) | 7 (3.3) | 0.002 |
| Other | 53 (4.0) | 19 (3.5) | 24 (4.2) | 10 (4.7) | 0.683 |
| Physiotherapist outcomes | 776 (58.6) | 236 (43.1) | 398 (70.3) | 142 (67.0) | |
| Discharge with self-management support† | 363 (46.8) | 133 (56.4) | 152 (38.2) | 78 (54.9) | <0.001 |
| Cognitive rehabilitation† | 17 (2.2) | 5 (2.1) | 9 (2.3) | 3 (2.1) | ~1.000 |
| Speech and language therapy† | 46 (5.9) | 31 (13.1) | 7 (1.8) | 8 (5.6) | <0.001 |
| Respiratory physiotherapy† (including ENO) | 196 (25.3) | 30 (12.7) | 134 (33.7) | 32 (22.5) | <0.001 |
| Fatigue management† | 144 (18.6) | 26 (11.0) | 101 (25.4) | 17 (12.0) | <0.001 |
*Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables. χ2 test for categorical variables. Fisher’s exact test used for categorical variables where one or more frequencies <5.
†Percentages reported as % of individuals seen by physiotherapist.
ED, emergency department; ENO, English National Opera 'Breathe' programme; ENT, ear, nose and throat; GAD-2, two-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder; HRCT, High-Resolution Computed Tomography; iAPT, improving access to psychological therapies; PHQ-2, two-item Patient Health Questionnaire.