Nursing Management of Frail Patients with Hematologic Malignancies During COVID-19 Pandemia in the Viterbo Domiciliary Care Unit: Data Analysis from March 2020 to March 2021

Background In the Viterbo province, a Domiciliary Hematologic Care Unit (DHCU) for assistance to frail patients (pts) with hemopathies Methods To evaluate the role of nursing management for frail pts followed by DHCU during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemia, all nursing activities from 3/2020 to 3/2021 were analyzed. Results Overall, 107 pts in 43 municipalities of Viterbo province were followed by DHCU nurses. The median distance from the DHCU central site to the house was 25 Km Interquartile Range (IQR) 16-34. A total number of 2609 nursing accesses was done in the whole period. According to different procedures, 1152 blood samples were performed, with a median number of 7 (IQR 3-15) for each pts: Moreover, there were 1040 accesses for Chemotherapy (CHT) administration and 417 accesses for other procedures (260 catheter medications, 125 therapy other than CHT, 32 nursing assistances of transfusions or marrow aspirates). Only 2 pts (1.8%) developed COVID-19 infection while in home care. Conclusions Domiciliary nurse assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed to follow in a safer way >100 frail pts with hemopathies in a wide geographic area. This approach should represent the best type of assistance for frail pts even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.