Newswise — A recent study published in The BMJ reveals that individuals who faced disrupted access to healthcare, such as missed appointments and postponed procedures, during the covid-19 pandemic had a higher likelihood of experiencing potentially preventable hospital admissions. This study is the first of its kind to analyze the impact of such disruptions on health outcomes using individual level longitudinal data. The researchers stress the importance of reducing the backlog caused by covid-19 disruption to effectively address both short-term and long-term implications of the pandemic.
The covid-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented challenges to healthcare in the UK, leading to disruptions in accessing appointments with doctors and outpatient departments, as well as delays in surgeries and cancer treatments.
Although previous research has described the extent of these disruptions, no study has thoroughly examined their potential impact on individual health outcomes until now.
To address this gap in knowledge, the researchers accessed data from seven longitudinal studies within the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC). The study involved analyzing linked data from 29,276 individuals in England, covering the period from 1st March 2020 to 25th August 2022, utilizing their NHS electronic health records.
The primary focus of the study was to evaluate avoidable emergency hospital admissions among the participants. The findings highlight the critical importance of addressing and mitigating the effects of covid-19-related disruptions on healthcare to better manage health outcomes in the aftermath of the pandemic.
According to the study, hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (conditions that could potentially be treated through community care) and emergency urgent care sensitive conditions (urgent conditions that can worsen suddenly) were analyzed. A total of 9,742 participants (35%) reported experiencing some form of disrupted access to healthcare during the covid-19 pandemic.
Upon adjusting for other potentially influential factors, the researchers observed that individuals who faced any form of disruption in accessing healthcare had an increased risk of hospital admission for various conditions. Specifically, they had 80% higher odds of admission for any ambulatory care sensitive condition, twice the odds for acute ambulatory care sensitive conditions, and 80% higher odds for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions.
Further investigation was conducted based on the type of healthcare disruption experienced. The results indicated that those who encountered disruptions in accessing procedures had 77% higher odds of hospital admission for any ambulatory care sensitive condition, 88% higher odds for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions, 45% higher odds for emergency urgent care sensitive admissions, and 57% higher odds for any hospital admission.
Similarly, individuals who faced disruptions in accessing appointments had 52% higher odds of hospital admission for any ambulatory care sensitive condition and 46% higher odds of any hospital admission. These findings highlight the significant impact of disrupted access to healthcare during the covid-19 pandemic on hospital admission rates for various conditions.
The findings presented in this study are based on observational data, and as such, it is essential to avoid making definitive conclusions about cause and effect. The researchers acknowledge that not all avoidable hospital admissions can be solely attributed to disruptions in healthcare. Furthermore, the study lacked pre-pandemic healthcare access data, and the self-reported nature of healthcare disruption might introduce some bias.
However, the researchers combined individual level data from longitudinal studies with electronic health records, which allowed them to paint a more comprehensive and detailed picture of hospital admissions within a national healthcare system during a period of significant disruption caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
The results indicate that the covid-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on healthcare access, leading to negative consequences on hospital admissions, potentially preventable in nature. These findings underscore the urgency of increasing healthcare investment to address both short-term and long-term implications of the pandemic and to safeguard treatments and procedures during future pandemics.
In summary, while caution is necessary due to the observational nature of the study, it provides valuable insights into the effects of healthcare disruption during the covid-19 pandemic and emphasizes the importance of proactive measures in bolstering healthcare systems to handle similar challenges in the future.
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