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Research ArticleArticles

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Health Care Disease Incidence Rates: 2017 to 2020

Antoni Sisó-Almirall, Belchin Kostov, Encarna Sánchez, Jaume Benavent-Àreu and Luis González-de Paz
The Annals of Family Medicine September 2021, 2731; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2731
Antoni Sisó-Almirall
1Consorci d’Atenció Primària de Salut Barcelona Esquerra (CAPSBE), Barcelona, Spain
2Primary Healthcare Transversal Research Group, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
3Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Belchin Kostov
1Consorci d’Atenció Primària de Salut Barcelona Esquerra (CAPSBE), Barcelona, Spain
2Primary Healthcare Transversal Research Group, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
4Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
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Encarna Sánchez
1Consorci d’Atenció Primària de Salut Barcelona Esquerra (CAPSBE), Barcelona, Spain
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Jaume Benavent-Àreu
1Consorci d’Atenció Primària de Salut Barcelona Esquerra (CAPSBE), Barcelona, Spain
1Consorci d’Atenció Primària de Salut Barcelona Esquerra (CAPSBE), Barcelona, Spain
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Luis González-de Paz
1Consorci d’Atenció Primària de Salut Barcelona Esquerra (CAPSBE), Barcelona, Spain
2Primary Healthcare Transversal Research Group, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract

We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain on new cases of diseases and conditions commonly seen in primary care. In 2020, there were significant reductions from 2017-2019 in the annual incidences of hypertension (40% reduction), hypercholesterolemia (36%), type 2 diabetes (39%), chronic kidney disease (43%), ischemic heart disease (48%), benign prostatic hypertrophy (38%), osteoporosis (40%), hypothyroidism (46%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (50%), alcohol use disorder (46%), benign colon polyps and tumors (42%), and melanomas (45%). Prioritization of COVID-19 care changed the physician-patient relationship to the detriment of face-to-face scheduled visits for chronic disease detection and monitoring, which fell by almost 41%. To return to prepandemic levels of diagnosis and management of chronic diseases, primary health care services should reorganize and carry out specific actions for groups at higher risk.

Key words:
  • COVID-19
  • SARS-Cov-2
  • pandemics
  • primary care
  • chronic conditions
  • underdiagnosis
  • telemedicine
  • delivery of health care
  • health services accessibility
  • organizational change
  • population health
  • Received for publication February 9, 2021.
  • Revision received June 4, 2021.
  • Accepted for publication June 21, 2021.
  • © 2021 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
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The Annals of Family Medicine: 21 (3)
The Annals of Family Medicine: 21 (3)
Vol. 21, Issue 3
May/June 2023
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Health Care Disease Incidence Rates: 2017 to 2020
Antoni Sisó-Almirall, Belchin Kostov, Encarna Sánchez, Jaume Benavent-Àreu, Luis González-de Paz
The Annals of Family Medicine Sep 2021, 2731; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2731

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Health Care Disease Incidence Rates: 2017 to 2020
Antoni Sisó-Almirall, Belchin Kostov, Encarna Sánchez, Jaume Benavent-Àreu, Luis González-de Paz
The Annals of Family Medicine Sep 2021, 2731; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2731
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Subjects

  • Domains of illness & health:
    • Chronic illness
  • Person groups:
    • Community / population health
  • Methods:
    • Quantitative methods
  • Other research types:
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  • Core values of primary care:
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  • Other topics:
    • COVID-19
    • Organizational / practice change

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • pandemics
  • primary care
  • chronic conditions
  • underdiagnosis
  • telemedicine
  • delivery of health care
  • health services accessibility
  • organizational change
  • population health

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