Health care utilization after COVID-19 in persons with non-communicable diseases in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul,...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Healthcare Research

Background:

• COVID-19 disproportionately affects individuals with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
• Understanding post-COVID-19 healthcare needs in this vulnerable population is crucial for resource allocation and patient management.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the specific healthcare utilization patterns following SARS-CoV-2 infection among those with pre-existing chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate healthcare utilization patterns after COVID-19 infection in individuals with NCDs.
• To identify associations between specific NCDs and the type of healthcare services accessed post-COVID-19.
• To compare healthcare utilization between COVID-19 survivors with and without NCDs.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study (Sulcovid-19) involving 2,919 participants who had COVID-19.
• Data collected on healthcare service attendance post-infection.
• Poisson regression analysis used to assess the association between NCDs and healthcare utilization.

Main Results:

• Individuals with any NCD showed a 1.67 times higher likelihood of using urgent and emergency services.
• Significantly increased use of specialized services was observed in those with at least one NCD (PR 3.77), systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) (PR 3.47), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (PR 3.87).
• People with NCDs required more healthcare services post-COVID-19 compared to those without NCDs.

Conclusions:

• Non-communicable diseases are associated with increased healthcare utilization following COVID-19.
• Specific NCDs like SAH and DM drive higher demand for specialized medical care post-infection.
• Effective management of NCDs is critical for mitigating the long-term health consequences of COVID-19.