Outpatient hospital attendances in people with rheumatoid arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a cohort study in three nations of the UK.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

We aimed to estimate how rheumatology outpatient hospital attendances have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic and determine demographic characteristics associated with observed changes.

Methods

Using three primary and secondary care electronic health record datasets in England (with the approval of NHS England), Scotland and Wales, we identified people with a diagnosis of RA before 1 April 2019. We determined the proportion of people with rheumatology hospital outpatient appointments each month [April 2019 to December 2022 (Wales and Scotland), November 2023 (England)] and quantified changes using interrupted time-series analysis. We used logistic regression to determine characteristics associated with having fewer appointments compared with 2019.

Results

SUBMITTER: Costello RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12862379 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature