Specialist Healthcare Intervention and Follow-up Trends in Post-Acute COVID-19 Hospitalization as Compared to Other Respiratory Infections

Oct 27, 2025Infectious diseases and therapy

Specialist Care and Follow-up Patterns After Hospitalization for COVID-19 Compared to Other Lung Infections

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Abstract

Among 57,795 hospitalized patients, 75.8% of those with COVID-19 had at least one specialist visit post-discharge.

  • COVID-19 patients were younger and had lower rates of comorbidities and post-discharge mortality (10.7% vs. 33.5%).
  • They experienced longer waits for specialist visits, with a median of 63 days compared to 45 days for other ARIs.
  • Patients hospitalized for COVID-19 underwent more imaging and spirometry tests but started fewer chronic medications overall.
  • Notably, the prescription rates for antidiabetics, psychoanaleptics, and genitourinary/hormonal drugs were higher after COVID-19 hospitalizations.
  • Patients with other ARIs were more likely to be hospitalized for reasons unrelated to COVID-19.

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Key numbers

10.7%
12-month Mortality Rate
Mortality rate for COVID-19 patients vs. 33.5% for other ARIs.
75.8%
Specialist Visit Rate
COVID-19 patients vs. 70.3% for other ARIs.
63 days
Median Time to First Specialist Visit
Compared to 45 days for other ARIs.

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