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The Experience of COPD Patients in Lockdown Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Eulogio Pleguezuelos1,2, Amin Del Carmen1, Eva Moreno3
1Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Hospital de Mataró, Barcelona, Spain.
Insights
The COVID-19 lockdown had a minimal impact on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, with most reporting stable or improved health. Despite cancelled appointments, patients were highly satisfied with telephone consultations.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread lockdowns, significantly altering healthcare access for patients with chronic conditions.
- Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) faced home confinement and cancelled medical visits, raising concerns about their health status and quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on COPD manifestations and patient quality of life.
- To assess patient adherence to lockdown measures and their experiences with healthcare access during this period.
Main Methods:
- A telephone survey was conducted with 100 COPD patients during May 2020.
- Data collected included lockdown adherence, missed appointments, COVID-19 fears, COPD exacerbations, and validated quality-of-life questionnaires (COPD Assessment Test, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EQ-5D).
Main Results:
- 64% of patients strictly adhered to lockdown; only 42% left home.
- 13% experienced self-managed COPD exacerbations; no hospital admissions for exacerbations occurred.
- 90% of medical consultations/tests were cancelled, but 61% reported high satisfaction with telephone visits.
- 82% felt their lung health and 81% their general health remained similar or improved during lockdown.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 lockdown generally had a low impact on the health of COPD patients.
- While moderate COPD exacerbations occurred, severe outcomes and COVID-19 impact were infrequent.
- Telemedicine proved to be a satisfactory alternative for healthcare delivery during the lockdown.
Purpose:
On March 16, 2020, the Spanish government declared a state of alarm due to the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were restricted to remain confined at home, and medical visits were cancelled for 3 months. The impact of this lockdown on the manifestations of COPD and the quality-of-life of these patients has not been explored.
Patients And Methods:
One hundred patients with COPD were interviewed by telephone from May 2-18, 2020. The interviews included questions about the lockdown, missed medical appointments, fears of the disease, possible COVID-19 infection, and exacerbations of COPD suffered during this period and their management. In addition, the COPD Assessment Test, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression, and the 5-Dimension Euro Quality-of-Life questionnaires were administered.
Results:
Sixty-four (64%) patients claimed to have strictly complied with the lockdown, and only 42 (42%) stated they had left home at least once during lockdown. Only one patient (1%) was hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 13 (13%) patients presented an exacerbation of COPD self-managed at home with no admissions due to exacerbation of COPD during this period. A medical consultation or complementary test was cancelled in 90% of the patients, but 61% had a medical telephone visit with a high degree of satisfaction (mean 9.3/10). Most patients declared that their feeling regarding lung disease and general health was similar or even better during lockdown (82% and 81%, respectively).
Conclusion:
Our results indicate that in general lockdown had a low impact on COPD patients. Only one patient was affected by COVID-19, but moderate exacerbations of COPD were not infrequent. Although many medical visits and test were cancelled, patients were very satisfied with the medical telephone visits.
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