Demographic, Clinical, and Quality of Life Profiles of Older People With Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus, one of the main diseases that affects the Brazilian population older than 60 years, is defined as a divergent group of metabolic disorders that present a high level of glycemia (hyperglycemia), causing damage to various organs and systems of the body, including the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nervous system. It is believed that in 2025, in Brazil alone, there will be more than 18.5 million individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Therefore, it is important to know the individuals' quality of life in the context of life and culture. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the demographic, clinical, and quality of life profiles of older adults with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic in a university hospital complex in the northern Amazon region. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, exploratory, noninterventional, descriptive, and analytical study using a nonrandom sample of 54 older people diagnosed with diabetes mellitus at the geriatrics outpatient clinic of the medium and high complexity university hospital in the western Brazilian Amazon between 2020 and 2022. We used 3 instruments, namely, a sociodemographic questionnaire, a clinical conditions questionnaire, and Diabetes-39. Qualitative data were described using absolute and relative frequencies. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test was applied, and the z test was used for inferential analysis. SPSS software (version 27) was used for data analysis, and the significance level was 5%. RESULTS: Of the 54 interviewees, the majority were women, married, retired, and had a good quality of life. Of these, 48.1% (n=26) were infected by COVID-19, 61.5% (n=16) of whom progressed to long COVID, presenting with fatigue or muscle weakness. As for the quality of life, the "social overload" (P<.001) and "sexual functioning" (P<.001) dimensions had with low scores compared to the "energy and mobility" (P=.005), "diabetes control" (P<.001), and "anxiety and worry" (P<.001) dimensions. Quality of life was negatively impacted in the "anxiety and worry" dimension. Among those affected by COVID-19, most progressed to long COVID; however, there was a lack of data on this theme in the population of older people with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of interviewees progressed to long COVID, with their quality of life negatively impacted in the "anxiety and worry" dimension, reflecting that health actions prioritizing mental health should be implemented by health professionals.

Sociodemographic Profile, Health Conditions, and Burden of Informal Caregivers of Older Adults in Brazil During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional, Exploratory, Noninterventional, Descriptive Study.

BACKGROUND: Demographic changes in the world population have resulted in an increasingly aging society, with a progressive increase in the number of people in situations of dependence, who require assistance from family members to meet their basic needs. Caring for older adults involves performing diverse activities, resulting in reduced free time and tiredness, and fulfilling the demands and expectations related to personal, family, physical, and social life, consequently compromising the quality of life of the caregiver. In this context, the informal caregiver of hospitalized older adults emerges as the focus of attention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the sociodemographic profile, health conditions, and burden of informal caregivers of older adults admitted to a university hospital in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic period. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study that was conducted with 25 informal caregivers of hospitalized older adults in a university hospital in Brazil between August and September 2022. Three instruments were applied: Caregiver Burden Inventory, sociodemographic questionnaire, and health conditions questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 28.0. Descriptive (frequency and percentage) and inferential analyses were performed using 2-sided Student t test with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Of the 25 interviewees, 18 (72%) were females, 17 (46%) were married or in a stable union, 14 (56%) completed secondary education, and 11 (44%) lived with the older adults who needed care. The average age of the participants was 44 (SD 12.8) years. Regarding their health conditions, most caregivers self-reported it as good (12/25, 48%). They provided care to their father or mother older than 70 years (14/25, 56%). The Caregiver Burden Inventory analysis showed that the caregivers were the most negatively impacted in the domains of personal life overload (mean 10.8, SD 3.46; P=.047) and physical overload (mean 10.6, SD 2.32; P=.02). CONCLUSIONS: In recent years, there has been an increase in the burden on informal caregivers of hospitalized older adults in Brazil, thereby impacting their personal and physical lives. The findings of our study show that health care professionals should be trained to promote health guidelines and actions to improve the personal and physical lives of the caregiver population in Brazil.

Avaliação da qualidade de vida de idosos diabéticos durante a pandemia do novo coronavírus / Quality of life assessment of elderly diabetics during the new coronavirus pandemic / Evaluación de la calidad de vida de los ancianos diabéticos durante la nueva pandemia de coronavirus

Objetivo: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de idosos com diabetes mellitus tipo 2 durante a Pandemia do novo coronavírus. Métodos: Estudo quantitativo, transversal e descritivo com 27 idosos diabéticos atendidos em um hospital universitário durante a Pandemia. Utilizou-se na coleta de dados três instrumentos: perfil sociodemográfico, condições clínicas sobre o novo coronavírus e Diabetes mellitus e Avaliação de Diabetes 39 (D-39) para avaliar a qualidade de vida. Para a análise dos dados foram utilizadas as estatísticas descritivas (frequência e percentual). Resultados: A maioria dos entrevistados são idosas com idade entre 60 a 64 anos, viúvos, baixa escolaridade, aposentados entre 1 a 10 anos de diagnóstico utilizando antiglicemiantes como forma de tratamento. Os idosos consideram sua qualidade de vida boa. Dentre àqueles que se contaminaram com o novo coronavírus foi evidenciado que não houve descontinuidade do tratamento para a Diabetes, entretanto, uma minoria relatou alguma sequela do novo coronavirus (febre, fraqueza muscular e apetite diminuído). A Sobrecarga funcional e o Funcionamento sexual foram as dimensões mais afetadas com todos os itens impactados negativamente. Conclusão: Os resultados apontam boa qualidade de vida dos idosos diabéticos apesar das dimensões Sobrecarga funcional e Funcionamento sexual afetadas negativamente sugerindo maior atenção dos profissionais de saúde. (AU)

Objective: To assess the quality of life of elderly people with type 2 diabetes mellitus during the new coronavirus pandemic. Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study with 27 elderly diabetics treated at a university hospital during the pandemic. Three instruments were used for data collection: sociodemographic profile, clinical conditions on new coronavirus and Diabetes mellitus and Diabetes Assessment 39 (D-39) to assess quality of life. For data analysis, descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) were used. Results: Most respondents are elderly aged between 60 and 64 years old, widowed, with low education, retired between 1 and 10 years of diagnosis and used antiglycemic agents as a form of treatment. Elderly people consider their quality of life to be good. Among those infected with the new coronavirus, it was shown that there was no discontinuation of treatment for Diabetes, however, a minority reported some sequelae of new coronavirus (fever, muscle weakness and decreased appetite). Functional overload and Sexual functioning were the most affected dimensions, with all items negatively impacted. Conclusion: The results indicate good quality of life for elderly diabetics despite the dimensions Functional overload and Sexual functioning negatively affected, suggesting greater attention from health professionals. (AU)

Objetivo: Evaluar la calidad de vida de los ancianos con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 durante la pandemia del nuevo coronavirus. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo, transversal y descriptivo con 27 ancianos diabéticos atendidos en un hospital universitario durante la pandemia. Para la recolección de datos se utilizaron tres instrumentos: perfil sociodemográfico, condiciones clínicas sobre nuevo coronavirus y Diabetes mellitus y Diabetes Assessment 39 (D-39) para evaluar la calidad de vida. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó estadística descriptiva (frecuencia y porcentaje). Resultados: La mayoría de los encuestados son ancianos de entre 60 y 64 años, viudos, con baja escolaridad, jubilados entre 1 y 10 años del diagnóstico y que utilizan agentes antiglucémicos como forma de tratamiento. Las personas mayores consideran que su calidad de vida es buena. Entre los infectados con el nuevo coronavirus, se demostró que no se suspendió el tratamiento para la diabetes, sin embargo, una minoría informó algunas secuelas del nuevo coronavirus (fiebre, debilidad muscular y disminución del apetito). La sobrecarga funcional y el funcionamiento sexual fueron las dimensiones más afectadas, con todos los ítems afectados negativamente. Conclusión: Los resultados indican una buena calidad de vida de los ancianos diabéticos a pesar de las dimensiones Sobrecarga funcional y Funcionamiento sexual negativamente afectadas, lo que sugiere una mayor atención por parte de los profesionales de la salud. (AU)

Transition of care for post-Covid-19 patients: sociodemographic and clinical profile and associated factors / Transición de la atención al paciente post-Covid-19: perfil sociodemográfico, clínico y factores asociados / Transição do cuidado de pacientes pós-Covid-19: perfil sociodemográfico, clínico e fatores associados

Objective: to identify the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and factors associated with the transition of care for patients recovered from Covid-19. Method: a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach carried out with 49 patients and/or caregivers who were discharged home from a university hospital. Three instruments were used, the sociodemographic questionnaire, the clinical questionnaire, and the Care Transitions Measure instrument to assess the transition of care. The analysis was performed using SPSS software, applying the Mann-Whitney test, adopting a significance level of p  0,005. Results: of the 49 participants, they were male (59.2%) with a mean age of 50 years, with more than 10 years of schooling. The main symptoms of Covid-19 were dyspnea (79.6%) followed by fatigue (75.5%) and fever (69.4%). The most prevalent comorbidity was systemic arterial hypertension (32.7%). There was a significant association between the transition of care and comorbidities (Diabetes mellitus, Obesity and Cancer) (p0,005). Conclusion and implications for practice: Covid-19 coping practices were successful, reflecting the transition from high care. However, the need to implement public policies after hospital discharge in a pandemic context is highlighted. 

Objetivo: identificar las características sociodemográficas, clínicas y factores asociados a la transición de la atención a pacientes recuperados de Covid-19. Método: estudio transversal con abordaje cuantitativo realizado con 49 pacientes y/o cuidadores que fueron dados de alta de un hospital universitario. Se utilizaron tres instrumentos, el cuestionario sociodemográfico, el cuestionario clínico y el instrumento Care Transitions Measure para evaluar la transición del cuidado. El análisis se realizó mediante el software SPSS, aplicando la prueba de Mann-Whitney, adoptando un nivel de significancia de p  0,005. Resultados: de los 49 participantes, eran del sexo masculino (59,2%) con una edad media de 50 años, con más de 10 años de escolaridad. Los principales síntomas de la Covid-19 fueron disnea (79,6 %) seguida de fatiga (75,5 %) y fiebre (69,4 %). La comorbilidad más prevalente fue la hipertensión arterial sistémica (32,7%). Hubo asociación significativa entre la transición de cuidados y las comorbilidades (Diabetes mellitus, Obesidad y Cáncer) (p0,005). Conclusión e implicaciones para la práctica: las prácticas de afrontamiento de Covid-19 fueron exitosas, lo que refleja la transición desde la alta atención. Sin embargo, se destaca la necesidad de implementar políticas públicas tras el alta hospitalaria en contexto de pandemia.

Objetivo: identificar as características sociodemográficas, clínicas e fatores associados à transição do cuidado de pacientes recuperados de Covid-19. Método: estudo transversal com abordagem quantitativa realizado com 49 pacientes e/ou cuidadores que receberam alta hospitalar para o domicílio em um hospital universitário. Utilizou-se três instrumentos, o questionário sociodemográfico, o clínico e o instrumento Care Transitions Measure para avaliar a transição do cuidado. A análise foi realizada por meio do software SPSS, aplicado o Teste de Mann-Whitney adotado nível de significância p  0,005. Resultados: dos 49 participantes, eram do sexo masculino (59,2%) com média de idade de 50 anos apresentando escolaridade acima de 10 anos de estudo. Os principais sintomas da Covid-19 foram dispneia (79,6%) seguidos de fadiga (75,5%) e febre (69,4%). A comorbidade mais prevalente foi a Hipertensão arterial sistêmica (32,7%). Houve associação significativa entre a transição do cuidado com as comorbidades (Diabetes mellitus, Obesidade e Câncer) (p0,005). Conclusão e implicações para a prática: as práticas de enfrentamento a Covid-19 foram bem-sucedidas refletindo na transição do cuidado alta. Contudo ressalta-se a necessidade de implementação de políticas públicas após alta hospitalar em contexto pandêmico.