A Retrospective Study of Post-COVID Recovery Clinic's Screening Data to Determine Prevalence of Frailty And Pre-Frailty Among COVID-19 Survivors

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty among COVID-19 survivors treated at a hospital system-based Post-COVID Recovery Clinic. DESIGN: Retrospective study using Post-COVID Recovery Clinic screening data. SETTING: A hospital system-based Post-COVID Recovery Clinic. PARTICIPANTS: COVID-19 survivors ≥18 years old (n=287) seen at a Post-COVID Recovery Clinic between July 2020 to May 2021. INTERVENTIONS: Descriptive statistics were used to describe demographics and patient-reported information. Differences in frailty status by demographics and patient-reported information were assessed with Chi-square test and analysis of variance. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frailty and pre-frail status were determined based on five pre-defined criteria described by Fried and colleagues. Our modified criteria were drawn from clinic screening questions on significant weight loss, exhaustion, activity level, walking difficulty as a surrogate measure of walking speed, and ability to open jars or grip and open things. RESULTS: COVID-19 survivors (Mage 52.6 ± 14.8 years old, 64.5% female) had ≥ 1 comorbidity, average of 70.82 ± 60 days from COVID diagnosis to follow-up, 6±4 symptoms at the clinic visit, and 2.79±1.06 special care referrals. Of those previously hospitalized, the average length of stay was 7.28 ± 7.89 days. About 53.1% of COVID-19 survivors were pre-frail, and 30.0% were frail. The age group with the highest proportion of frailty was 40-65 years (61%), followed by ages 65+ (23.2%) and 18-39 (15.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results indicate that about 1 in 3 COVID-19 survivors met frailty criteria with the majority in the middle age range. Most experienced multiple symptoms 3 months post-diagnosis and needed an average of 3 referrals. Our results warrant further investigation and may indicate targeted interventions to prevent development of permanent disability among COVID-19 survivors. AUTHOR(S) DISCLOSURES: None.