Impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare use in osteoarthritis: A population register-based study in Sweden.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate whether the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare consultations (HCC) and hospitalization among people with and without osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

Using register data, we included individuals aged ≥35 years residing in Skåne region, Sweden, during 2009-2019 with (n ​= ​123,523) and without (n ​= ​552,412) a diagnosis of OA during January 1, 2009-December 31, 2019. We collected bi-weekly individual data on HCC/hospitalization between January and May for years 2017-2020. Treating the year 2020 as intervention and 2017-2019 as control as well as dividing data to pre- (January-February) and post-pandemic (March-May), we applied event study design to measure the dynamic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCC/hospitalization. We used f

SUBMITTER: Kiadaliri A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8894697 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature