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A cross-sectional questionnaire study in a phototherapy unit during COVID-19
Francine Batista Costa1, Patrícia Lima Baptista2, Rodrigo Pereira Duquia2
1Department of Dermatology, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre, 135, Annes Dias St., Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, RS, 90040-001, Brazil. francine.dermato@gmail.com.
Background:
In March 2020, social isolation measures were imposed in Brazil to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), requiring health services to implement contingency plans. The main objective of the study was to verify the status of the disease, self-reported by patients who discontinued phototherapy, during a period of social isolation.
Methods:
All patients receiving phototherapy at the Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, Brazil, prior to the implementation of social distancing measures were eligible for inclusion in the study. 86 patients answered a questionnaire during a medical evaluation.
Results:
95% of patients who stopped phototherapy reported a worsening of disease status. Only 19% of patients continued to attend phototherapy sessions during the social isolation period.
Conclusion:
The COVID-19 pandemic led most patients to stop phototherapy, resulting in the perception of increased disease severity in an outpatient sample in southern Brazil.
