Factors associated with post-COVID-19 health conditions at a rehabilitation center: a cross-sectional study, Paraíba, Brazil, 2024.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the profile of people with post-COVID-19 conditions and factors associated with treatment outcome at a rehabilitation center in Campina Grande, Paraíba state, Brazil.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study, based on the analysis of 398 medical records of public health service users treated at a post-COVID rehabilitation center. Sociodemographic, clinical and care variables were assessed using prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) and a 5% significance level. The outcome of interest was the treatment result, categorized as hospital discharge or dropout.

RESULTS

The analysis of the 398 medical records revealed a predominance of females (62.6%) and adults in the 18-59 age group (63.3%). Treatment dropout was more frequent among females than among males (PR 1.68; 95%CI 1.11; 2.53; p-value 0.012). Hospitalized patients had lower risk of treatment dropout (PR 0.48; 95%CI 0.31; 0.74; p-value 0.001), and those who received oxygen therapy also had lower risk of treatment dropout (PR 0.50; 95%CI 0.31; 0.82; p-value 0.004). Of the 398 users analyzed, 282 (78.1%) were discharged from the rehabilitation center and 79 (21.9%) dropped out of treatment.

CONCLUSION

Being female was associated with higher dropout rates, while hospitalization and oxygen therapy acted as protective factors for adherence. These findings emphasize the need for targeted follow-up strategies capable of reducing losses to follow-up and promoting greater effectiveness in post-COVID-19 rehabilitation within the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS).