COVID-19 Recovery at Home Possible for Most Cedars-Sinai Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 12 October 2020 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles COVID-19 Recovery at Home Possible for Most Patients The entrance to Cedars-Sinai's Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department Researchers Confirm the Safety of Home Discharge for Low-Risk Patients with COVID-19 A new study shows that the vast majority of patients who visited the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai with suspected COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) symptoms, and who were treated and sent home to recuperate, recovered within a week. The study, published by the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, showed that none of those patients died from the virus and fewer than 1% required intensive care. "When the pandemic began there was minimal evidence to guide us as to who should be hospitalized and who could be sent home," said Sam Torbati, MD, co-chair and medical director of the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai. "In real time, we began developing our criteria for who needed hospitalization for monitoring, intensive care, and who could recover at home. And this study shows our patients received the appropriate level of care." In the retrospective study, researchers looked at the outcomes of 452 patients who sought care at the Emergency Department for COVID-19 symptoms between March 12 and April 6, 2020. The study showed that the patients, with a median age of 38, had experienced flu-like symptoms two to three days before they went to the Emergency Department. After being given a comprehensive care plan and then discharged home, it took an average of between five and seven days for patients to recover at home. "What we learned from the study is that outpatient management is safe for most COVID-19 patients who have normal vital signs and no comorbidities," said first author Carl Berdahl, MD. "However, patients should be instructed to return to the Emergency Department for worsening symptoms, including labored breathing." The study, which showed that no patients died, also found: Sixty-one percent of the patients in the sample had no comorbidities. Thirteen percent of patients who were sent home came back to the Emergency Department for additional care. The inpatient admission rate at 30 days was 4%, with fewer than 1% of patients requiring intensive care. "The takeaway for the public is that emergency clinicians can safely and readily identify patients with COVID-19 who are safe for outpatient monitoring," said Torbati. "Those who meet criteria for discharge are at very low risk of getting worse and requiring hospitalization." Read more on the Cedars-Sinai blog: Should I Go to Urgent Care or the ER? Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Contact Melissa VizcarraSenior Communications Specialist melissa.vizcarra@cshs.org Share this release COVID-19 Recovery at Home Possible for Most Patients Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home