Cargando…
A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study
INTRODUCTION: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many PEH it is impossible to isolate due to the lack of permanent housing. Therefore, an isolation facility for SARS-CoV-2 positive PEH was opened in Berlin, Germany, in May 2020, offer...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10281190/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37346103 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1147558 |
_version_ | 1785060959937626112 |
---|---|
author | Hörig, Merle Klaes, Sarah M. Krasovski-Nikiforovs, Svetlana van Loon, Welmoed Murajda, Lukas Rodriguez, Rosa C. O. Schade, Christine Specht, Anabell Equihua Martinez, Gabriela Zimmermann, Ruth Mockenhaupt, Frank P. Seybold, Joachim Lindner, Andreas K. Sarma, Navina |
author_facet | Hörig, Merle Klaes, Sarah M. Krasovski-Nikiforovs, Svetlana van Loon, Welmoed Murajda, Lukas Rodriguez, Rosa C. O. Schade, Christine Specht, Anabell Equihua Martinez, Gabriela Zimmermann, Ruth Mockenhaupt, Frank P. Seybold, Joachim Lindner, Andreas K. Sarma, Navina |
author_sort | Hörig, Merle |
collection | PubMed |
description | INTRODUCTION: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many PEH it is impossible to isolate due to the lack of permanent housing. Therefore, an isolation facility for SARS-CoV-2 positive PEH was opened in Berlin, Germany, in May 2020, offering medical care, opioid and alcohol substitution therapy and social services. This study aimed to assess the needs of the admitted patients and requirements of the facility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective patient record study carried out in the isolation facility for PEH in Berlin, from December 2020 to June 2021. We extracted demographic and clinical data including observed psychological distress from records of all PEH tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. Data on duration and completion of isolation and the use of the facilities’ services were analyzed. The association of patients’ characteristics with the completion of isolation was assessed by Student’s t-test or Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS: A total of 139 patients were included in the study (89% male, mean age 45 years, 41% with comorbidities, 41% non-German speakers). 81% of patients were symptomatic (median duration 5 days, range 1–26). The median length of stay at the facility was 14 days (range 2–41). Among the patients, 80% had non-COVID-19 related medical conditions, 46% required alcohol substitution and 17% opioid substitution therapy. Three patients were hospitalized due to low oxygen saturation. No deaths occurred. Psychological distress was observed in 20%, and social support services were used by 65% of PEH. The majority (82%) completed the required isolation period according to the health authority’s order. We did not observe a statistically significant association between completion of the isolation period and sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: The specialized facility allowed PEH a high compliance with completion of the isolation period. Medical care, opioid and alcohol substitution, psychological care, language mediation and social support are essential components to address the specific needs of PEH. Besides contributing to infection prevention and control, isolation facilities may allow better access to medical care for SARS-CoV-2 infected PEH with possibly positive effects on the disease course. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-10281190 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2023 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-102811902023-06-21 A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study Hörig, Merle Klaes, Sarah M. Krasovski-Nikiforovs, Svetlana van Loon, Welmoed Murajda, Lukas Rodriguez, Rosa C. O. Schade, Christine Specht, Anabell Equihua Martinez, Gabriela Zimmermann, Ruth Mockenhaupt, Frank P. Seybold, Joachim Lindner, Andreas K. Sarma, Navina Front Public Health Public Health INTRODUCTION: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many PEH it is impossible to isolate due to the lack of permanent housing. Therefore, an isolation facility for SARS-CoV-2 positive PEH was opened in Berlin, Germany, in May 2020, offering medical care, opioid and alcohol substitution therapy and social services. This study aimed to assess the needs of the admitted patients and requirements of the facility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective patient record study carried out in the isolation facility for PEH in Berlin, from December 2020 to June 2021. We extracted demographic and clinical data including observed psychological distress from records of all PEH tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. Data on duration and completion of isolation and the use of the facilities’ services were analyzed. The association of patients’ characteristics with the completion of isolation was assessed by Student’s t-test or Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS: A total of 139 patients were included in the study (89% male, mean age 45 years, 41% with comorbidities, 41% non-German speakers). 81% of patients were symptomatic (median duration 5 days, range 1–26). The median length of stay at the facility was 14 days (range 2–41). Among the patients, 80% had non-COVID-19 related medical conditions, 46% required alcohol substitution and 17% opioid substitution therapy. Three patients were hospitalized due to low oxygen saturation. No deaths occurred. Psychological distress was observed in 20%, and social support services were used by 65% of PEH. The majority (82%) completed the required isolation period according to the health authority’s order. We did not observe a statistically significant association between completion of the isolation period and sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: The specialized facility allowed PEH a high compliance with completion of the isolation period. Medical care, opioid and alcohol substitution, psychological care, language mediation and social support are essential components to address the specific needs of PEH. Besides contributing to infection prevention and control, isolation facilities may allow better access to medical care for SARS-CoV-2 infected PEH with possibly positive effects on the disease course. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-06-06 /pmc/articles/PMC10281190/ /pubmed/37346103 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1147558 Text en Copyright © 2023 Hörig, Klaes, Krasovski-Nikiforovs, van Loon, Murajda, Rodriguez, Schade, Specht, Equihua Martinez, Zimmermann, Mockenhaupt, Seybold, Lindner and Sarma. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Public Health Hörig, Merle Klaes, Sarah M. Krasovski-Nikiforovs, Svetlana van Loon, Welmoed Murajda, Lukas Rodriguez, Rosa C. O. Schade, Christine Specht, Anabell Equihua Martinez, Gabriela Zimmermann, Ruth Mockenhaupt, Frank P. Seybold, Joachim Lindner, Andreas K. Sarma, Navina A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study |
title | A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study |
title_full | A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study |
title_fullStr | A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study |
title_full_unstemmed | A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study |
title_short | A COVID-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective patient record study |
title_sort | covid-19 isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness in berlin, germany: a retrospective patient record study |
topic | Public Health |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10281190/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37346103 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1147558 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT horigmerle acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT klaessarahm acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT krasovskinikiforovssvetlana acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT vanloonwelmoed acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT murajdalukas acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT rodriguezrosaco acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT schadechristine acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT spechtanabell acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT equihuamartinezgabriela acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT zimmermannruth acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT mockenhauptfrankp acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT seyboldjoachim acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT lindnerandreask acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT sarmanavina acovid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT horigmerle covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT klaessarahm covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT krasovskinikiforovssvetlana covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT vanloonwelmoed covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT murajdalukas covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT rodriguezrosaco covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT schadechristine covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT spechtanabell covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT equihuamartinezgabriela covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT zimmermannruth covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT mockenhauptfrankp covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT seyboldjoachim covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT lindnerandreask covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy AT sarmanavina covid19isolationfacilityforpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessinberlingermanyaretrospectivepatientrecordstudy |