Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Registry

This national multi-centre registry is designed to enroll population-based consecutive eligible patients presenting with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to 50 emergency departments in eight Canadian provinces from March 1 2020 and data collection is ongoing for the duration of the pandemic.

Data will be abstracted from the medical chart and entered into a central, web-based REDCap database. The investigators adopted the ISARIC variables into the database where there was a match. The investigators will develop standardized operating procedures for screening of potentially eligible patients, data entry and follow-up. Current data dictionaries are kept on the registry's website (https://canadiancovid19registry.org/).

At 30 days, the investigators will contact patients by telephone to obtain verbal consent for follow-up. The investigators will measure the Veterans Rand 12-item Health Survey (VR12), calculate the WHO Ordinal Outcome Scale and ask contextual questions in consenting patients. The VR12 will be measured at 60 days, and 6 and 12 months. The contextual questions were developed with input from patients with lived experience with COVID-19 infection and addressed cultural, racial, gender, socioeconomic and self-isolation issues.

The Health Data Research Network facilitated the development of a unique data flow of personal health identifiers and study identification numbers from each province for all participating institutes. This will allow linkage of registry data with national administrative data repositories.