Knowledge of Health Guidelines, Prescription Medications Among Patients With COVID-19 in Home Quarantine Helps Develop Health Policy

^{By Julie Gould} 

Recent study findings published online in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, suggest that patients with COVID-19 under home quarantine had a good awareness of the instructions given to them, which ultimately helped control the transmission in the study population and throughout the community.  

“Assessment of the patient's awareness at home quarantine about COVID‐19 is crucial for developing the health policy and instructions for the containment of the infection,” the researchers of the study wrote. “Education and instructions given to COVID‐19 patients quarantined at home (mild and moderate cases who need not to be admitted to hospital) and persons who contact them at home quarantine are considered the most important measures that can help in the controlling infectious diseases spread.”  

For the study, Mohamed E. A. Abdelrahim, PhD, professor of clinical pharmacy, Beni-suef University, Egypt, and colleagues conducted an online structured questionnaire that examined awareness regarding quarantine instructions. The survey, which was given in three sections, included questions assessing participant awareness of home instructions, awareness of the participants’ families, and awareness and attitude regarding the efforts provided to face COVID‐19.  

To better understand the study design and outcomes, we spoke with Dr Abdelrahim. He explained why adequate instructions for COVID-19 patients under home quarantine are continually needed to help decrease disease spread.

What existing data led you and your co-investigators to conduct this research?

We noticed that some patients and their families ( specially in country) didn’t apply the instruction for home quarantine. So, we aimed to evaluate awareness and practices related to the COVID-19 quarantine instructions among the COVID-19 patients, mild & moderate cases and their families at home quarantine to confront the disease and prevent its spread to the other family members. 

Please briefly describe your study and its findings. Were any of the outcomes particularly surprising?

Of all the participants (55% males) and (81%) were in the age group of 28 to 40 years. The participants and their families had satisfactory knowledge about the quarantine instructions to the COVID-19 Patients (mild & moderate cases who did not need to be admitted to hospital) and persons who contacted them at home quarantine.

The surprising point: As a result of the participants’ commitment to health guidelines and taking medications prescribed for them regularly, 33% felt better symptoms of disease after 5 days. 

What are the possible real-world applications of these findings in clinical practice?

• To promote adequate instructions and practices to decrease the rate of disease progression and decrease the spread of the infection
• Provide information to increase patient and community awareness 

Do you and your co-investigators intend to expand upon this research?

We expanded this research by visiting the participants every 5 days for 3 visits to council them. We assessed the role of counseling in increasing their awareness, decreasing the rate of disease progression, and decreasing the spread of the infection. Also, we evaluated the adequacy of the instructions in decreasing the rate of progressing the disease to sever. 

Reference:

Elgendy MO, Abd Elmawla MN, Abdel Hamied AM, El Gendy SO, Abdelrahim MEA. COVID-19 patients and contacted person awareness about home quarantine instructions [published online ahead of print, 2020 Oct 31]. Int J Clin Pract. 2020;e13810. doi:10.1111/ijcp.13810