Care of the COVID-19 Patient

Caring for patients within an acute care COVID unit requires a practitioner to expand on existing nursing knowledge. It is expected that each practitioner has a baseline in fundamentals of care, including strong assessment skills, communication, documentation, and providing person-centred care. The focus of this module is on principles of infection control and prevention, pathophysiology and symptom presentation, rapid assessment skills, recognition of decompensating patient, and when escalation in care and intervention is required. It is an assumption that each practitioner has a good understanding of anatomy and physiology as this content will not be extensively reviewed here. If you need to, please refer to a text or reference material. After this section, the practitioner will have further understanding of:

1. Foundational knowledge related to care of the COVID patient.
2. Foundational nursing knowledge and skill of caring for COVID patient with respiratory compromise.
3. Foundational nursing knowledge and skill of caring for a COVID patient with cardiovascular compromise.
4. Foundational nursing knowledge and skill of caring for a COVID patient with multisystem compromise.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can vary from person to person. They may also vary in different age groups. It may take up to 14 days after exposure to COVID-19 for symptoms to appear (Government of Nova Scotia, 2021).

Transmission may occur from individuals who do not have signs or symptoms of infection (pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic presentations) (Government of Canada, 2021c).

Some of the commonly reported symptoms of COVID-19 include one or more of the following.
Review these Dynamic Health signs and symptoms:

Severity of Illness

Among adults, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. Severe illness means that the person with COVID-19 may require hospitalization, intensive care, or a ventilator to help them breathe, or they may even die. People of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are also at increased risk for severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Complications

While COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory disease, it can also lead to cardiac, dermatologic, hematological, hepatic, neurological, and renal complications (National Institute for Health, 2021).

Patients with the following comorbidities are at an increased risk for severe disease and poor outcomes including death.

• Age - 65 years and older
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Diabetes and other metabolic diseases
• Obesity (BMI greater than 30kg/m²)
• Cardiovascular disease
• Heart failure or hypertension
• Chronic lunch disease, e.g. COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension
• Sickle cell disease
• Neurological disease and neurodevelopmental disorders, e.g. cerebral palsy, Trisomy 21
• Active cancer
• Moderately to severely immunocompromised
• Pregnancy
• Chronic liver disease
• Children and adolescents (less than 18 years of age) currently undergoing prolonged treatment with acetylsalicylic acid for a chronic condition such as anemia)

(COVID-19 and Flu Testing - Nova Scotia Health)

Please refer to guiding documents on the ERIN Hub:

Patients who require admission to hospital will be cared for in either an acute care COVID unit or, if care requirements are significant, they may require admission to a critical care environment. This section covers principles of COVID, physical assessment, rapid respiratory and cardiac review.

Please review the following Dynamic Health content that outlines general concepts regarding COVID:

In clinical practice, nurses follow infection prevention and control (IPAC) guidance:

• Perform a Point of Care Risk Assessment (PCRA).
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients with confirmed COVID-19, or those patients under investigation for COVID-19. Dedicated PPE donning (outside the room) and doffing (inside the room) areas must be delineated, with donning and doffing instructions clearly visible (Nova Scotia Health). 
• Ensure Placement Principles for Patients with COVID-19 have been implemented in health care facilities in areas with increased viral activity.
• Be aware of any Aerosol Generating Medical Procedures (AGMP) in Healthcare Settings that your patient may have and choose the correct PPE.
• Review the Infection Prevention and Control Principles for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Viral Respiratory Infection

More Resources

The respiratory system is the primary body system responsible for ventilation and oxygenation of the body. Ventilation, the process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide in the lungs requires a patent airway (Giddens, 2017). Oxygenation refers to the amount of oxygen in the body, both in the blood and tissues. Oxygen is continuously needed by our bodies to give us energy and to maintain cellular metabolism. The respiratory system brings oxygen into the body via the lungs. Oxygen diffuses into the bloodstream from the alveoli then travels to the tissues. Cells utilize oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, which the body must eliminate quickly and effectively before a toxic, acidic environment is created. Any disruption in this system can impair the effectiveness of tissue oxygenation and can be stressful and possibly life-threatening. Feeling short of breath can cause anxiety and fear in clients, as breathing is so fundamental to the basics of life. Maintaining respiratory health optimizes both ventilation and oxygenation.

Practitioners need to have strong assessment skills and understanding of respiratory and cardiac systems. Please review the following Dynamic Health Skills:

The cardiac system is the primary body system responsible for the pumping of blood required for perfusion of body tissues. Perfusion is the flow of blood through arteries and capillaries to deliver essential cellular oxygen and nutrients (Giddens, 2017). Please review the following on cardiac assessment:

Oxygen is carried by the blood in two ways. A small amount (3%) is dissolved in plasma and clinically this portion is measured as PaO₂. The largest portion of oxygen (97%) combines with hemoglobin. Together this is known as the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. The body's arterial oxygen content (CaO₂) is affected by the hemoglobin level, oxygen saturations (SaO₂) and PaO₂ levels in the blood. A decrease in any one of these factors will result in a decrease in oxygen content.

The following are examples that can lead to decrease in the body's oxygen content:

1. Hypoxemia
2. Decreased hemoglobin:
   • Anemia
   • Hemorrhage
   • Renal failure (decreased production)
3. Abnormal hemoglobin:
   • Sickle cell anemia
4. Non-functioning hemoglobin:
   • Carbon monoxide poisoning

The relationship between ventilation and perfusion is important for nurses to understand, assess and manage in their patients. Ventilation is the movement of gases through the alveoli and perfusion is blood flow to the alveolar capillaries.

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based RNA detection from respiratory samples (i.e. nasopharyngeal swab) of SARS-CoV-2 is the standard for diagnosis of COVID-19. Sensitivity varies with timing of testing relative to exposure.

It should be noted that the presence of antibodies does not confer immunity.

A variety of other diagnostic tests may be considered based on patient clinical presentation. Common abnormalities among patients with COVID-19 include:

• Lymphopenia
• Elevated inflammatory markers (ESR, CRP, ferritin, TNF-a, IL-1, IL-6)
• Abnormal coagulation parameters (prolonged PT, thrombocytopenia and elevated D-dimer, low fibrinogen)
• Chest X-ray: bilateral lower lobe infiltrates
• CT scan: ground glass opacities

(Wiersinga, Rhodes, Cheng, Peacock, & Prescott, 2020)

There is currently no curative treatment for COVID-19. Treatments are supportive in nature.

Ventilation and Oxygenation strategies such as:

• Early awake proning
• Oxygen therapy
• CPAP trial
• Humidified high flow nasal cannula trial (HFNC)
• Intubation and mechanical ventilation

Order Sets

Additional Resources

Medication Summaries

IV Monographs

Additional Resources

Despite early recognition and intervention, your patient with COVID-19 may continue to rapidly decompensate. It is recommended to use an early warning acuity tool within your organization, like Modified Early Warning (MEWS). Be familiar with the clinical pathways found on the HUB as to how you escalate care within your site. Be sure to use an SBAR format to inform colleagues and physicians of the change in condition and remember, early recognition and escalation of care is essential.

Review the following on shock, sepsis and code blue:

• Follow IPAC guidance
• Consider goals of care / frailty scores
• Know your patient's code status and follow Code Blue guiding principles
• Monitor your patient with COVID-19 as acute deterioration is common
• Monitor and take care of yourself and support your colleagues

Recovering from COVID-19 is different for everyone. It does not matter how old you are or how healthy you were before COVID-19. Some people feel better in a few weeks. For others, it may take months. Research is still being done and there is a lot that we still do not know.

Post COVID

• There is emerging evidence that some patients who have recovered from COVID-19 still have long-term effects from the disease.
• This group of patients who continue to experience symptoms are called ‘long haulers’ or those with ‘late sequelae of COVID-19’
• Common symptoms include: fatigue, dyspnea, cough, myalgia, headache, fever and palpitations; other reported symptoms include: cognitive impairment & depression
• Research is ongoing to study the long term effects of COVID-19 in patients

(Mayo Clinic, 2020; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

Is your patient experiencing ongoing symptoms? Do they live in Nova Scotia and are a resident over the age of 16? If they have answered ‘YES’ to these questions, encourage them to complete the Post COVID Symptom Survey. This information will be used to determine the appropriate level of support they need from Nova Scotia Health’s Post COVID Navigation services