“Considering disability-related needs largely absent from the COVID-19 response, with vaccine eligibility primarily due to age and comorbidities, limited patient eligibility with disabilities are hospitalized and disability data are not normally collected during the supervision of Dr. Hilary Brown, University of Toronto Scarborough, with co-authors.
The study included data on 1279 patients 18 years of age and older who were hospitalized with COVID-19 at seven teaching hospitals in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario, from January 1 to November 30, 2020.
People with disabilities have a 36% longer hospital stay and are 77% more likely to be referred to a hospital within 30 days of first admission. After the researchers calculated age and other factors that might explain the difference, these higher rates remained.
The highest risks for poor outcome are in patients with traumatic brain injury, intellectual disability or developmental delay, and multiple disabilities.
“Our findings suggest that disability-related needs must be included in the COVID-19 response plan, in particular, to support patients in the hospital and immediately after admission, including community support to ensure a safe transition home and reduce the risk of an unplanned return to the hospital,” said Dr. Amol Verma, St. Michael, Unity Health Toronto said.
The findings are in line with studies from the US and UK showing worse outcomes from COVID-19 in people with disabilities.
Source: Medindia
