Impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare use in osteoarthritis : A population register-based study in Sweden
(2022) In Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open 4(2).- Abstract
Objective: To investigate whether the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare consultations (HCC) and hospitalization among people with and without osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods: Using register data, we included individuals aged ≥35 years residing in Skåne region, Sweden, during 2009-2019 with (n = 123,523) and without (n = 552,412) a diagnosis of OA during January 1, 2009-December 31, 2019. We collected bi-weekly individual data on HCC/hospitalization between January and May for years 2017-2020. Treating the year 2020 as intervention and 2017-2019 as control as well as dividing data to pre- (January-February) and post-pandemic (March-May), we applied event study design to measure the dynamic effects of the... (More)
Objective: To investigate whether the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare consultations (HCC) and hospitalization among people with and without osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods: Using register data, we included individuals aged ≥35 years residing in Skåne region, Sweden, during 2009-2019 with (n = 123,523) and without (n = 552,412) a diagnosis of OA during January 1, 2009-December 31, 2019. We collected bi-weekly individual data on HCC/hospitalization between January and May for years 2017-2020. Treating the year 2020 as intervention and 2017-2019 as control as well as dividing data to pre- (January-February) and post-pandemic (March-May), we applied event study design to measure the dynamic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCC/hospitalization. We used fixed-effect Poisson regressions for estimation and subgroup analyses by sex, age, and comorbidity were conducted among OA patients.
Results: The impact of the pandemic on healthcare use was evident from mid-March 2020 (34-45%/12-25% reductions in in-person HCC/hospitalization) among people with OA relative to 2017-2019. Smaller reductions were seen in those without OA with 25-34%/8-16% reductions in in-person HCC/hospitalization. On contrary, there were increases in remote HCC following the pandemic (5-25% and 11-31% in people with and without OA, respectively). Among persons with OA, there were variations in the pandemic's effects by sex, age and comorbidity.
Conclusion: Despite no lockdown in Sweden there were substantial reductions in in-person healthcare use during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic with greater reductions among people with than without OA.
(Less)
- author
- Kiadaliri, Ali
LU
; Magnusson, Karin LU ; Turkiewicz, Aleksandra LU ; Dell'Isola, Andrea LU ; Runhaar, Jos ; Bierma-Zeinstra, Sita and Englund, Martin LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 2
- article number
- 100252
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:35261990
- scopus:85138297096
- ISSN
- 2665-9131
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ocarto.2022.100252
- project
- Quasi-experimental study design
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- © 2022 The Author(s).
- id
- 92edddb0-0d06-4f7b-95a4-e8a327dbe683
- date added to LUP
- 2022-03-11 11:11:55
- date last changed
- 2025-02-09 00:46:55
@article{92edddb0-0d06-4f7b-95a4-e8a327dbe683, abstract = {{<p>Objective: To investigate whether the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare consultations (HCC) and hospitalization among people with and without osteoarthritis (OA).</p><p>Methods: Using register data, we included individuals aged ≥35 years residing in Skåne region, Sweden, during 2009-2019 with (n = 123,523) and without (n = 552,412) a diagnosis of OA during January 1, 2009-December 31, 2019. We collected bi-weekly individual data on HCC/hospitalization between January and May for years 2017-2020. Treating the year 2020 as intervention and 2017-2019 as control as well as dividing data to pre- (January-February) and post-pandemic (March-May), we applied event study design to measure the dynamic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCC/hospitalization. We used fixed-effect Poisson regressions for estimation and subgroup analyses by sex, age, and comorbidity were conducted among OA patients.</p><p>Results: The impact of the pandemic on healthcare use was evident from mid-March 2020 (34-45%/12-25% reductions in in-person HCC/hospitalization) among people with OA relative to 2017-2019. Smaller reductions were seen in those without OA with 25-34%/8-16% reductions in in-person HCC/hospitalization. On contrary, there were increases in remote HCC following the pandemic (5-25% and 11-31% in people with and without OA, respectively). Among persons with OA, there were variations in the pandemic's effects by sex, age and comorbidity.</p><p>Conclusion: Despite no lockdown in Sweden there were substantial reductions in in-person healthcare use during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic with greater reductions among people with than without OA.</p>}}, author = {{Kiadaliri, Ali and Magnusson, Karin and Turkiewicz, Aleksandra and Dell'Isola, Andrea and Runhaar, Jos and Bierma-Zeinstra, Sita and Englund, Martin}}, issn = {{2665-9131}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{2}}, publisher = {{Elsevier}}, series = {{Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open}}, title = {{Impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare use in osteoarthritis : A population register-based study in Sweden}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocarto.2022.100252}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.ocarto.2022.100252}}, volume = {{4}}, year = {{2022}}, }