ABSTRACT Introduction: Individuals with COVID-19 often have functional deficits across multiple domains (activity, cognition, and mobility) which may prompt the need for postacute care, and little is known about the association between multiple domains of function and discharge disposition. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between patients’ functional status across multiple domains and discharge disposition for those hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods: This was a retrospective study of records for adult patients with COVID-19 admitted between May 2020 and February 2022, who had a complete set of scores for the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) 6-Clicks applied cognition, daily activity, and basic mobility measures. To identify functional profiles, latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted using the AM-PAC 6-Clicks scores for all 3 domains. The association between functional profile and discharge to home versus a facility was examined using a modified Poisson regression model to estimate relative risk. Results: One hundred twenty-four records were available for analysis. Five distinct profiles were identified that differentiated the sample by 4 levels of AM-PAC 6-Clicks scores. Patients in the moderate, low, and very low physical function profiles were more likely to be discharged to a facility than those with high physical function. Patients with high levels of physical function, even when cognitively impaired, were more likely to be discharged home. Discussion/Conclusion: Physical function, more than cognitive function, influenced patients' disposition after hospitalization for COVID-19.
Jones et al. (Thu,) studied this question.