An Easy-To-Use Prehospital Severity Scoring Tool To Triage COVID-19 Positive Adults In A Resource-Limited Setting

Area of Science:

• Medical Research
• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) presents a significant global health challenge.
• Effective prehospital triage is crucial, especially in resource-limited settings.
• Accurate severity assessment aids in appropriate patient management and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an easy-to-use severity scoring tool for COVID-19 patients.
• To facilitate prehospital triage in resource-limited environments.
• To classify COVID-19 cases into mild, moderate, and severe categories.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study involving adult COVID-19 positive patients was conducted.
• The study utilized validated scales for pneumonia detection and pulmonologist expertise.
• Data analysis was performed using SPSS 19.

Main Results:

• The study included 206 participants (48.5% in-patients, 51.5% out-patients).
• The majority of participants were male (69.9%) with a mean age of 48.4 years.
• In-patients showed a significantly higher proportion in severe categories (III and IV) (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• The developed severity scoring tool demonstrated effectiveness in classifying COVID-19 patients.
• The tool can aid in distinguishing between mild, moderate, and severe cases.
• This supports improved prehospital triage strategies for COVID-19.