Consistent service use before the COVID-19 pandemic predicted the continuity of face-to-face appointments during the lockdown among type 2 diabetes patients.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101463825 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1878-0210 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 18780210 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Prim Care Diabetes Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Kidlington, Oxford : Elsevier
    • Subject Terms:
      Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2*/diagnosis ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2*/epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2*/therapy ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; Prediabetic State*; Humans ; Pandemics ; Glycated Hemoglobin ; Communicable Disease Control
    • Abstract:
      Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected diabetes care among type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. However, it is not known whether the observed changes in care concern all T2D patients equally. We examined the changes in health service usage and treatment outcomes among T2D patients according to the pre-pandemic follow-up activity.
      Methods: We analysed electronic health records of 11 083 T2D patients in North Karelia, Finland (March 2017-March 2021), categorizing them by pre-pandemic T2D-related in-person contact frequency. We focused on HbA1c and LDL measurement activity and treatment targets as care indicators.
      Results: Overall, health service usage and recording rates for HbA1c and LDL decreased during the pandemic. They decreased most but stayed at the highest level among patients with the most consistent pre-pandemic face-to-face service use, characterised by the highest proportion of comorbidities and elevated HbA1c. Their treatment outcomes were not negatively affected. In contrast, service usage and measurement activities increased among those with no pre-pandemic contact.
      Conclusion: Those with consistent pre-pandemic service use and greater service needs were more likely to seek face-to-face care despite the lockdown, and no negative effect on treatment outcomes was seen.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
      (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: COVID-19; HbA1c; Health services; LDL; Treatment outcomes; Type 2 Diabetes
    • Accession Number:
      0 (Glycated Hemoglobin)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240107 Date Completed: 20240415 Latest Revision: 20240417
    • Publication Date:
      20240417
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.pcd.2023.12.003
    • Accession Number:
      38185577