Quality of life of COVID 19 patients after discharge: Systematic review

BACKGROUND: Understanding the impact of COVID 19 on patients’ quality of life (QOL) following discharge or recovery is essential for planning necessary interventions in advance. As such, this systematic review aimed to provide an overview of the QOL, and the factors associated with it in COVID-19 patients following discharge or recovery. METHODS: The Databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct were searched. The review included studies that (1) assessed the QOL of COVID 19 patients following discharge or recovery, (2) were written in English, (3) used a validated instrument to assess the quality of life and (4) used an observational or cohort study design. The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Following the initial search, 2866 articles were identified as being related. A total of 1089 articles were identified as duplicates. 1694 studies were excluded during the title and abstract screening stage, and 83 studies were screened at the full-text screening stage. Finally, 21 studies were included in this systematic review. RESULTS: This systematic review included 4408 patients who tested positive for COVID 19. Of them 50.2% (n = 2212) were males. Regardless of the time since discharge or recovery, COVID 19 patients’ QOL has been significantly impacted. Female sex, older age, co-morbidities, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, prolonged ICU stay, and being mechanically ventilated were the most frequently reported factors associated with the low level of QOL. CONCLUSION: The QOL of the post COVID19 patients was significantly impacted, regardless of the time elapses since discharge or recovery. Thus, when implementing programs to improve the QOL of post COVID19 patients, the most affected domains of QOL and associated factors should be considered.