Prevalence Of Fever And Its Associated Factors Among Hospitalised Covid-19 Patients At The Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua

Abstract

Background: In Ghana, temperature check at various points of entry was being used as a means of screening people for coronavirus disease 2019 without taking into consideration a local data on the prevalence of fever. In order to establish a well-grounded knowledge of fever among hospitalised patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Ghana, this study was designed. Objective: To assess fever prevalence and its associated factors among hospitalised coronavirus disease 2019 patients at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study involving review of medical records of all 301 eligible coronavirus disease 2019 patients admitted and discharged at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua between May 5, 2020, and August 31, 2021, was conducted. Data collected on a pre-designed compilation form was processed, entered and analysed using Microsoft excel 2019 and Stata/IC version 16.1 software. Prevalence of fever was estimated and a multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to establish factors associated with fever among hospitalised coronavirus disease 2019 patients. A relationship was accepted to be significant at 5% level of significance. Results: The prevalence of fever among hospitalised coronavirus disease 2019 patients at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua was 21.6% (95% CI, 17.1%-26.7%). The factors associated with fever were age (AOR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99), comorbidity (AOR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.11- 5.06) and disease severity [moderate (AOR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.22-9.52); severe (AOR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.18-11.07); critical (AOR, 5.71; 95% CI, 1.23-26.58)]. Conclusion: Prevalence of fever was low among hospitalised coronavirus disease 2019 patients at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua. A more significant number of cases were likely being missed with the temperature screening policy. Factors such as age, comorbidity, and disease severity predicted the category of patients who presented with fever in this sample. Revision of case detection and management policy by Ghana Health Service/ Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua is required. Healthcare workers should not be oblivious to the fact that majority of symptomatic patients do not present with fever during triaging.