INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has brought attention to the health disparities even in a rural state such as Nebraska COVID-19 patients admitted to CHI (Catholic Health Initiative) Health Nebraska had data collected concurrently to determine the intensive care unit (ICU) admissions METHODS: Data from all patients with a positive SARSCoV- 2 polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) test were collected regarding their health on admission, their progress during hospitalization, and their disposition after dismissal Data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed by SPSS-PC (ver 26 0) Emphasis was placed on critical care admission for patients Continuous variables were analyzed using Student t-test and discrete variables were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test Apriori significance was p ≤ 0 05 RESULTS: From March 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020, 127 (29%) of 441 total COVID-19 positive patients were admitted to ICU beds in our healthcare system (CHI Health Nebraska;approximately 320 ICU beds) Significantly more male patients (58%;p&lt;0 01) were admitted to ICU Bodyweight (93 9 ± 32 6 vs 83 1 ± 23 5 kg) and APACHE II score (12 6 ± 7 6 vs 8 9 ± 5 6, P&lt;0 01) on admission to ICU were also significantly (p&lt;0 01) higher Additionally, 50% of patients with COVID-19 positive PCR result belonged to minority race groups (African-American 21%;Asian 11%;Hispanic 68%;p &lt; 0 001) when African-American represent 5%, Asian 2 7%, and Hispanics 10% of the Nebraska general population For health disparities, significantly more (40%;p&lt;0 03) ICU admissions were due to occupational exposure to COVID-19 (meatpacking plants) Total hospitalization length was significantly longer for ICU patients (18 6 ± 12 1 days) compared to non-ICU patients (12 5 ± 12 4 days, p&lt;0 001) CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 infection has resulted in significant health disparities with greater numbers of ICU admission from occupational exposure in a close workspace with minimal social distancing
Influence of health disparities on COVID-19 critical care admissions