Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41504758›Full record

ArticleMedical care2026

Preventable Differences in Recommended Outpatient COVID-19 Treatment Among Adults With COVID-19 in the United States.

Mariela Bournigal-Feliciano, Nathan Graff, Emilia H Koumans, Melisa M Shah, Makhabele N Woolfork, Natasha B Lunsford, Hope King, Pragna Patel, Melissa B Hagen, Michael D Kappelman and 9 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Medical care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Mariela Bournigal-FelicianoOffice of the Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.ORCID 0009-0004-4836-2163
Nathan GraffCoronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Emilia H KoumansCoronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Melisa M ShahCoronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Makhabele N WoolforkOffice of the Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Natasha B LunsfordOffice of the Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Hope KingCoronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Pragna PatelCoronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Melissa B HagenCoronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
Michael D KappelmanDepartment of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Kenneth H MayerHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Deepika ThackerNemours Cardiac Center, Nemours Children's Health System, Wilmington, DE.
Jonathan ArnoldDepartment of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
Thomas W CartonLouisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, LA.
Christine DraperDepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA.
Diane EmertonDepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA.
Jason BlockDepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA.
Brian J MannsOffice of the Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
PCORnet Network Partners

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic exposed differences in health care outcomes, including the prescription of COVID-19 antiviral medications. This analysis aimed to describe prescribing patterns in outpatient COVID-19 treatment and assess factors that contributed to these differences.

methodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted using electronic health record data from August 2022 through March 2024 from health care institutions participating in PCORnet,® the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize COVID-19 outpatients eligible for treatment, and regression models were used to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) of prescribed COVID-19 outpatient treatment. Interaction terms assessed the interactions between race and ethnicity and the combined comorbidity index (CCI), age and sex, and age and race and ethnicity.

resultsOf 1,247,420 patients eligible for COVID-19 treatment, 334,947 (26.9%) were prescribed outpatient treatment. In adjusted analyses, compared with White patients, all other racial and ethnic groups had lower aPR for treatment (aPRs:0.89-0.99), except patients who reported being multiracial (aPR:1.00; 95% CI: 0.93-1.08). Those aged 65-74 were prescribed treatment more often (aPR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.12-1.13) compared with patients aged 20-49. Patients with a CCI of 1-3 and ≥4 were prescribed treatment less often (aPR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.97-1.01 and aPR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.89-0.94, respectively), compared with those with a CCI of ≤0. These differences were sustained when considering the interactions between race and age and race and CCI.

conclusionsWe found differences in recommended outpatient treatment by several sociodemographic variables. Addressing COVID-19 prescription barriers is essential to slow preventable differences from unmet COVID-19 outpatient care.

Indexed as

Antiviral AgentsCOVID-19COVID-19 Drug TreatmentHealthcare DisparitiesHispanic or LatinoPractice Patterns, Physicians'Racial GroupsAdultAgedAmbulatory CareComorbidityCross-Sectional StudiesElectronic Health RecordsFemaleHumansMaleAntiviral AgentsCOVID-19outpatient treatmentprescription

Identifiers

PMID41504758
PMCPMC12783340

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.