The impact of COVID-19 and national pandemic responses on health service utilisation in seven low- and middle-income countries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health services worldwide, which may have led to increased mortality and secondary disease outbreaks. Disruptions vary by patient population, geographic area, and service. While many reasons have been put forward to explain disruptions, few studies have empirically investigated their causes.

Objective

We quantify disruptions to outpatient services, facility-based deliveries, and family planning in seven low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and quantify relationships between disruptions and the intensity of national pandemic responses.

Methods

We leveraged routine data from 104 Partners In Health-supported facilities from January 2016 to December 2021. We first quantified COVID-19-related disruptio

SUBMITTER: Fejfar D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10013493 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature