Patients' Perspectives on Life and Recovery 1 Year After COVID-19 Hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Many patients hospitalized for COVID-19 experience prolonged symptoms months after discharge. Little is known abou t patients' personal experiences recovering from COVID-19 in the United States (US), where medically underserved populations are at particular risk of adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To explore patients' perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 hospitalization and barriers to and facilitators of recovery 1 year after hospital discharge in a predominantly Black American study population with high neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage. DESIGN: Qualitative study utilizing individual, semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 approximately 1 year after discharge home who were engaged in a COVID-19 longitudinal cohort study. APPROACH: The interview guide was developed and piloted by a multidisciplinary team. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were coded and organized into discrete themes using qualitative content analysis with constant comparison techniques. KEY RESULTS: Of 24 participants, 17 (71%) self-identified as Black, and 13 (54%) resided in neighborhoods with the most severe neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage. One year after discharge, participants described persistent deficits in physical, cognitive, or psychological health that impacted their current lives. Repercussions included financial suffering and a loss of identity. Participants reported that clinicians often focused on physical health over cognitive and psychological health, an emphasis that posed a barrier to recovering holistically. Facilitators of recovery included robust financial or social support systems and personal agency in health maintenance. Spirituality and gratitude were common coping mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent health deficits after COVID-19 resulted in downstream consequences in participants' lives. Though participants received adequate care to address physical needs, many described persistent unmet cognitive and psychological needs. A more comprehensive understanding of barriers and facilitators for COVID-19 recovery, contextualized by specific healthcare and socioeconomic needs related to socioeconomic disadvantage, is needed to better inform intervention delivery to patients that experience long-term sequelae of COVID-19 hospitalization.

Lost to follow up?: A qualitative study of why some patients do not pursue lung cancer screening.

Although national guidelines recommend lung cancer screening for adults at high risk, only a small proportion of eligible adults in the US have been screened. The goal of this study was to understand barriers to screening among a specific but important population: patients who have been referred for screening, but who have not completed the test. We used semi-structured interviews to explore barriers to screening among patients at two academic, safety-net primary care practices. We included patients who had been referred for screening at least 6 months prior but who had not completed the test. Among interviewees (N = 16) a consistent theme was a lack of knowledge about the purpose and process of screening. Despite being referred for lung cancer screening, participants expressed that they knew little about how screening was performed or what it was intended to achieve. Preferences and values also played a role in why some participants did not return for screening. Our findings suggest that lack of knowledge about screening is an important barrier to use, as patients are unlikely to prioritize a test if they know little about it.