Background: The increased morbidity and disproportionately high mortality rates among Black and Hispanic patients hospitalized due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are well documented. However, little is known about how patients’ experiences differ across racial and ethnic lines after discharge.
Methods: A survey was conducted online in the United States by the Harris Poll from May 19 to June 23, 2021, collecting 601 responses from 200 White, 200 Black, and 201 Hispanic patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Results were weighted according to population benchmarks from the March 2020 Current Population Survey. Additional sample weights were estimated using the Random Iterative Method to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
Results: After the hospitalization, White and Black patients viewed COVID-19 as a less serious threat to their communities (from 78% before to 65% after hospitalization for white patients and from 74% before to 56% after hospitalization for Black patients). In contrast, Hispanic patients viewed COVID-19 as a more serious threat after hospitalization (from 67% before to 76% after hospitalization). After hospitalization, Black and Hispanic patients expressed less trust than White patients in their healthcare professionals (73% [p<0.1] and 65% [p<0.05], vs. 85%, respectively) and more trust in religious church leaders (51% Black [p<0.05] and 43% Hispanic [p<0.1] vs. 30% White). Regarding their post-hospitalization care, 20% of patients had difficulty receiving or understanding post-COVID treatment information, with Black and Hispanic patients reporting slightly more difficulty compared with White patients (24% and 20% vs. 19%, respectively, nonsignificant). Finally, when patients were asked to rate their knowledge about COVID-19 immediately following hospitalization, 89% of White patients rated themselves “Excellent” or “Good” in overall knowledge compared with their Black and Hispanic counterparts (77% [p<0.05] and 79% [p<0.10], respectively).
Conclusions: Following a COVID-19 hospitalization, disparities may exist in self-care and trust in healthcare providers among Black, White, and Hispanic patients. What happens to COVID-19 patients after discharge is a nebulous area for inpatient providers. Discharge care teams have the opportunity to reduce these healthcare inequities by improving and standardizing discharge planning and communication with patients. Initiatives to empower minority patients with improved discharge knowledge around self-care may help reduce future disparities in health outcomes.