Factors associated with post-COVID-19 health conditions at a rehabilitation center: a cross-sectional study, Paraíba, Brazil, 2024.

Objective: To characterize the profile of people with post-COVID-19 conditions and factors associated with treatment outcome at a rehabilitation center in Campina Grande, Paraíba state, Brazil. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, based on the analysis of 398 medical records of public health service users treated at a post-COVID rehabilitation center. Sociodemographic, clinical and care variables were assessed using prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) and a 5% significance level. The outcome of interest was the treatment result, categorized as hospital discharge or dropout. Results: The analysis of the 398 medical records revealed a predominance of females (62.6%) and adults in the 18-59 age group (63.3%). Treatment dropout was more frequent among females than among males (PR 1.68; 95%CI 1.11; 2.53; p-value 0.012). Hospitalized patients had lower risk of treatment dropout (PR 0.48; 95%CI 0.31; 0.74; p-value 0.001), and those who received oxygen therapy also had lower risk of treatment dropout (PR 0.50; 95%CI 0.31; 0.82; p-value 0.004). Of the 398 users analyzed, 282 (78.1%) were discharged from the rehabilitation center and 79 (21.9%) dropped out of treatment. Conclusion: Being female was associated with higher dropout rates, while hospitalization and oxygen therapy acted as protective factors for adherence. These findings emphasize the need for targeted follow-up strategies capable of reducing losses to follow-up and promoting greater effectiveness in post-COVID-19 rehabilitation within the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS).