Change in healthcare utilization before and after COVID-19 using data from 1.5 million individuals.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objective

Post-infectious sequelae can increase burden on healthcare systems. We aimed to assess the long-term effect of COVID-19 on healthcare utilization across all levels of care.

Methods

In this register-based cohort study, we included all adult (≥18 years) residents in Sweden's two largest counties with a registered COVID-19 index date between 31 January 2020 and 9 February 2022. Each exposed individual was matched 1:1 to a control without registered COVID-19 on index date based on gender, birth year, vaccination status and the change in number of healthcare contacts between 2018 and 2019. We counted the number of healthcare contacts across all levels of care during the pre-index (13-1 months) and post-index (4-15 months) full-year periods. A difference-i

SUBMITTER: Bygdell M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12789290 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature