Facility level case report of nursing care processes for patients with suspected 2019 Novel coronavirus disease in Shanghai, China

Hu, Yuli; Wang, Lan; Hu, Sanlian; FangFang,

Abstract Background COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, and spread rapidly worldwide. Few studies have described nursing care provided to patients in isolation between suspected and confirmed diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to describe the treatment and nursing care processes of patients suspected, but not yet confirmed, to have COVID-19 infection at one facility in Shanghai, China. Methods For this retrospective facility case review and patient health record study, data were collected on all patients with suspected COVID-19 who were treated between January 22 and February 29, 2020, at 1 hospital. The facility’s nursing care processes were described in detail. Results 119 patients were suspected of having COVID-19 based on screening criteria. 9 (7.6%) patients had confirmed COVID-19 and were transferred to a higher level of care. The remaining 110 (92.4%) were treated and discharged. No cross-infection between patients and hospital staff or other patients were detected. Patients’ symptoms included fever (n = 98, 82.4%), cough (n = 79, 66.4%), dizziness (n = 28, 23.5%), headache (n = 26, 21.8%), fatigue (n = 26, 21.8%), myalgia (n = 16, 13.4%), rhinorrhoea (n = 6, 5.0%), diarrhea (n = 5, 4.2%), severe nasal congestion (n = 4, 3.4%) and dyspnea (n = 1, 0.8%). Conclusions COVID-19 is very contagious. Nurses need to understand the symptoms and treatment of the disease, nursing procedures, and how to cut off transmission routes, control transmission sources and use protective equipment correctly to prevent transmission of the disease within the hospital.