Background: The growing number of cases presenting with COVID-19 during the pandemic has led to a significant shortage of hospital beds. Many patients may not require hospitalization and can be clinically observed in home settings. We have identified a set of psychosocial factors that correlate with unsuccessful home isolation (HI), which in turn might negatively affect the transmission control in the community. Therefore, we developed the Chula COVID-19 Psychosocial Home Isolation Evaluation Tool (CCPHIET), a new screening tool for assessing the psychosocial suitability for HI. This study examines the CCPHIET’s validity and reliability.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included COVID-19 patients who were deemed to be medically safe for 14-days of HI. The CCPHIET is comprised of eight clinical domains pertinent to HI behavioral compliance and risk for non-adherence. We explored its statistical validity and reliability and discussed the potential utility of this tool.
Results: A total of 65 COVID-19 patients participated in this study. Most patients (58.5%) were deemed to be appropriate candidates for HI according to the CCPHIET. The results of this study demonstrate that the CCPHIET has an acceptable content validity (IOC index > 0.5), moderate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.611) and substantial to excellent inter-rater reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.944, Cohen’s kappa= 0.627).
Conclusions: CCPHIET is an easy-to-use tool for assessing the psychosocial suitability of patients advised for at-home isolation with mild and asymptomatic COVID-19. Its implementation can assist clinicians in identifying and redirecting resources to patients at the highest risk for breaking quarantine and save on unnecessary, costly absolute institutional quarantine for those deemed to be psychosocially fit for full adherence.
Introduction
The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand started in April 2021. The cumulative number of cases had increased 10 times from 29,000 cases in early April to 290,000 cases in early July 2021 [1]. This sharp rise in cases raised concerns about the shortage of medical resources throughout the country. There had been continuous reports of hospital bed shortages in both intensive care and general medicine units. Some hospitals were forced to limit the rate of COVID-19 testing, given initial regulations mandating medical institutions to take responsibility for patients who tested positive at their respective facilities [2]. In turn, limitations on COVID-19 testing further hampered the effectiveness of pandemic control [3]. Rising COVID-19 cases and the lack of COVID-19 beds also lead to increased burnout rates, as well as other physical and psychological negative impacts on the wellbeing of health care personnel [4], including an increase in the number of suicides [5]. COVID-19 also resulted in living in isolation and quarantine leading to an increase in psychiatric symptoms and complications [6].
It is estimated that the proportion of …….