Abstract
Objectives: There is paucity of data on determinants of length of COVID-19 admissions and long COVID, an emerging long-term sequel of COVID-19, in Ghana. Therefore, this study identified these determinants and discussed their policy implications. Method: Data of 2334 patients seen at the main COVID-19 treatment centre in Ghana were analysed in this study. Their characteristics, such as age, education level and comorbidities, were examined as explanatory variables. The dependent variables were length of COVID-19 hospitalisations and long COVID. Negative binomial and binary logistic regressions were fitted to investigate the determinants. Result: The regression analyses showed that, on average, COVID-19 patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus spent almost 2 days longer in hospital (p = 0.00, 95% CI = 1.42–2.33) and had 4 times the odds of long COVID (95% CI = 1.61–10.85, p = 0.003) compared to those with no comorbidities. In addition, the odds of long COVID decreased with increasing patient’s education level (primary OR = 0.73, p = 0.02; secondary/vocational OR = 0.26, p = 0.02; tertiary education OR = 0.23, p = 0.12). Conclusion: The presence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus determined both length of hospitalisation and long COVID among patients with COVID-19 in Ghana. COVID-19 prevention and management policies should therefore consider these factors.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, causing significant morbidity and mortality globally
Many of the patients survived from COVID-19 (98%)
This study aimed to explore the determinants of COVID-19-related length of hospital stay (LOS) and long
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, causing significant morbidity and mortality globally. As of 10 October 2021, more than 236 million cases and over 4 million deaths had been confirmed worldwide [1]. The number of weekly reported cases and deaths has declined considerably over the past few weeks [2], there is still a need for research-informed effective interventions to curtail the outbreak altogether. There is limited empirical research on other important COVID-19-related outcomes, such as COVID-19 length of hospital stay (LOS) and long COVID. COVID-19-related LOS has a mammoth impact on global health systems, including overburdened health resources, unprecedented demand for health professionals, workers burnout and increased health financing and medical cost [7]. In Ghana, the average medical cost of managing a single case of COVID-19, based on the national
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