COVID-19 in older adults with psychiatric morbidity
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Clinical presentations and correlates of poor clinical outcomes of COVID-19 among older adults with psychiatric morbidity
IRAS ID
289750
Contact name
Anto Praveen Rajkumar Rajamani
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottinghamshire healthcare NHS foundation trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
How Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is presented in patients (characteristics) and how patients respond to the disease (outcomes) vary widely, and we know little about what lead to these variations. Older people with physical and mental illnesses seem to be at higher risk for experiencing poor clinical outcomes following COVID-19, but there has not been any systematic research investigating these vulnerable people in UK so far. Hence, we want to investigate various illness, treatment and social factors associated with poor clinical outcomes related to COVID-19 among older people with psychiatric illnesses.
This study will be conducted by a team of old age psychiatrists, who provide direct clinical care in the Nottinghamshire healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NOTTSHC) Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP). The study will include two components. The first component will be a review of existing electronic medical records and medication charts for all consenting people, who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 while receiving treatment from the NOTTSHC MHSOP. All members of the study team are from existing clinical care teams in the NOTTSHC and they have access to these records who they already manage clinically.
The second component will involve in-depth telephone interviews with 10 older people using the MHSOP who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The interviews will involve questions about their personal experience of COVID-19, experience of using health services, coping mechanisms, suggestions for improving available health services, and suggestions for further research.
This study will help us to advance our understanding of the clinical characteristics, clinical course, outcome of COVID-19 among older people with psychiatric illnesses and the factors associated with poor clinical outcomes related to COVID-19. They will help us to understand the perspectives of older people with psychiatric illnesses, and their important suggestions for improving existing clinical services.REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/1282
Date of REC Opinion
26 Jan 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion