Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rheumatology Nursing Consultation

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major changes to the model of patient care in Rheumatology. Our aim was to compare the change in the care delivered in a rheumatology nursing consultation before and during the pandemic.

Descriptive and observational study in 254 patients before and in 251 during the pandemic outbreak.

The type of scheduled face-to-face visit decreased during COVID-19 (46.5% vs. 1.6%), with the number of scheduled telephone visits increasing (2.8% vs. 52.2%) and spontaneous consultations over the phone or email (28.3% vs. 45%). The functions performed in the programmed ones were the stable patient control (20% vs. 37%) and management (12% vs. 38%). The reason for spontaneous consultation increased during COVID-19, especially doubts regarding prevention measures and treatment optimization (13.8% vs. 31.1%).

The first wave of COVID-19 brought to rheumatology nursing consultation a global increase in all activities in the number of visits per day, in the number of stable patient controls, in monitoring and answering patient concerns.