Home Isolated COVID-19 patients adhering to recommended guidelines: a cross sectional survey in Karachi

Authors

  • Shobha Luxmi Department of Infectious Disease, Dow International Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Munazza Obaid Department of Community Medicine, Dow International Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Sadaf Zia Department of ENT, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Fatiam Zulfiqar Siddiqui Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Musfirah Danyal Barry Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Saba Zaheer Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Faiza Zakaria Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.6821

Keywords:

COVID-19, Home isolation, Protective measures, Home management, SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Objectives: To assess compliance level of coronavirus disease-2019 patients with recommended isolation guidelines.

Methods: The cross-sectional phone-based survey was conducted in Karachi, from March to October 2020 after approval from the ethics review board of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and comprised patients of either gender who had been tested positive and were advised home isolation due to mild/asymptomatic nature of their infection. Data was collected using a predesigned 42-item questionnaire in the light of the guidelines issued by the National Institutes of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.

Results: Of the 450 patients approached, 305(68%) responded; 176(57.7%) females and 129(41.1%) males. The overall mean age was 35.16+/-14.15 years (range: 13-78 years). Of the total, 9(2.95%) patients did not isolate themselves at all, 51(16.7%) came into contact with other people, 75(24.6%) broke the home isolation and 69(22.6%) were sharing their rooms with other family members. Overall, 260(85.2%) participants were keeping themselves updated with the changes in the guidelines through conventional and social media.

Conclusion: Coronavirus disease-2019 patients who were advised home isolation adhered to some but not all of the recommendations.

Key Words: COVID-19, Home isolation, Protective measures, Home management, SARS-CoV-2.

Published

2023-10-30

How to Cite

Luxmi, S., Munazza Obaid, Sadaf Zia, Fatiam Zulfiqar Siddiqui, Musfirah Danyal Barry, Saba Zaheer, & Faiza Zakaria. (2023). Home Isolated COVID-19 patients adhering to recommended guidelines: a cross sectional survey in Karachi. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 73(11), 2157–2160. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.6821

Issue

Section

Research Article