Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Health Status of People Aged 75 and Over and Their Caregivers

Objective: To explore the impact of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 on the state of health of people aged ≥75 years. Design: Mixed-methods study. 1) Multipurpose, ambispective, longitudinal population-based cohort study with real world data and 6 years of follow-up; 2) Prospective observational cohort study with 18 months of follow-up; 3) Qualitative study with a critical-social approach. Scope: Primary care in 11 Autonomous Regions. Population: People aged ≥75 years, attending healthcare centres in the study area. Sample: The population cohort will include the total population that meets the criteria, out of the estimated 1619620. The prospective cohort size is 1035, recruited on a probabilistic basis by clinical nurses. In the social critical approach the selection will be intentional and will progress towards theoretical sampling according to the emerging findings. V. outcome: Population-based cohort: nursing diagnostic and interventions and use of services; mortality, quality of life (EQ-5D) and functional capacity (Barthel) for cohort follow-up. V. exposure: SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sources: Clinical history, clinical interview, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Analysis: Population cohort: to explore the evolution of diagnostic and interventions, a time series analysis will be carried out. Cohort study: Kaplan-Meier survival curves for mortality, functional change and quality of life. Cox proportional hazards models will be used to study the impact of infection on the three variables at 6, 12 and 18 months, adjusted for socio-demographic and clinical variables. Qualitative study: thematic, semiotic and discursive positions analysis.