Why carry out this study?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has required a new paradigm in the outpatient management of viral pneumonia through telemedicine and in-person encounters.

Treatment guidelines have focused on inpatient pharmacotherapy and not on outpatient symptom management despite high numbers of patients requesting advice.

This study asked if providers assigned to COVID-19 sites (March–May 2020) found specific therapies beneficial for patient symptoms and if the perceived benefit differed by the site of care (episodic providers versus longitudinal providers who called patients until symptoms improved).

What was learned from the study?

Many therapies used for nonspecific acute respiratory infections are perceived as beneficial by medical providers for the respiratory and systemic symptoms of COVID-19.

Longitudinal providers who call patients until symptom resolution report higher use of medications for lower respiratory tract symptoms and high perceived efficacy of antitussives and inhaled albuterol, findings which merit future investigation.