Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities and implications for health services research

Goyal, Divya; Hunt, Xanthe; Kuper, Hannah; Shakespeare, Tom; Banks, Lena Morgon

doi:10.1177/13558196231160047

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…4,5 Indeed, our results show that clients’ specific needs related to basic finances, food, and housing increased during the first year of the pandemic. These findings are consistent with emerging literature on the experiences of people with disabilities 6,24 -26 and disability organizations based in other countries highlighting the unequal impact of COVID-19 on people living with disabilities. 6,27,28 The pandemic has shown the increasing development and use of technology.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…These findings are consistent with emerging literature on the experiences of people with disabilities 6,24 -26 and disability organizations based in other countries highlighting the unequal impact of COVID-19 on people living with disabilities. 6,27,28 The pandemic has shown the increasing development and use of technology. With protective measures in place, like other non-profit organizations, brain injury associations across Canada started to offer support services online, which increased outreach to clients but also highlighted disparities related to technological accessibility.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…1,2 Studies have shown that people living with disabilities had difficulty accessing information and support services during the pandemic. 6,7 Safety measures implemented at the onset of the pandemic reduced the risk of infection transmission but also created new challenges and disparities for people living with brain injury including increased isolation, fear, and anxiety. 8 In Canada, federal and provincial governments began implementing lockdown measures in mid-March 2020 including border restrictions, limited gatherings, school and non-essential business closures, mandatory working from home, and temporary suspension of non-essential health and public services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the Early Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Brain Injury Associations Across Canada: A Qualitative Study

Salazar,

Lecours,

Engel

et al. 2023

INQUIRY

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The COVID-19 pandemic has increased challenges for people living with brain injury and community associations to support this vulnerable population. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by brain injury survivors during the first year of the pandemic and how community brain injury associations adapted their services to respond to these needs. Findings from seven focus-group with 31 representatives of Canadian brain injury associations revealed 4 main themes: (1) Addressing evolving client needs; (2) Keeping clients safe; (3) Challenges and opportunities navigating the digital world; and (4) Sustaining brain injury associations in the face of uncertainties and disruptions. To comply with public health measures, associations reported pivoting their service delivery online, despite recognizing the difficulties this could create for many brain injury survivors in accessing and using technology. Our findings also highlight concrete directions for not-profit organizations providing instrumental help with activities, acting as a liaison and interpreter of public health guidelines, and in connecting with clients using technology while handling potential cognitive and technological challenges. Addressing these issues has the potential to protect people living with brain injury and community associations from external threats, like pandemics, in the future.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the Early Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Brain Injury Associations Across Canada: A Qualitative Study

Salazar,

Lecours,

Engel

et al. 2023

INQUIRY

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show abstract

“…This lack of awareness, coupled with misconceptions and fearmongering, fuels vaccine hesitancy and reluctance to seek vaccination [33]. Secondly, physical and communication barriers pose signi cant challenges to getting to the vaccination sites [25]. Transportation limitations, inadequate infrastructure, and inaccessible facilities hinder mobility for individuals with disabilities, while communication barriers, such as the lack of sign language interpreters or accessible information formats, impede effective communication and informed decision-making [23,40].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Individuals with Functional Difficulty, Disability, and Comorbid Conditions: Insights from a National Survey in Bangladesh

Khanam,

Rana,

Islam

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: COVID-19 vaccine coverage among individuals with disabilities is crucial for safeguarding their health and well-being. However, the extent of vaccine coverage among this group remains largely unknown in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to explore the COVID-19 vaccine coverage among persons with functional difficulty, disability and/or morbidity in Bangladesh. Methods: Data from 9,370 respondents extracted from the 2021 National Household Survey on Persons with Disability were analysed. The outcome variable was the receipt of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (yes, no). Key explanatory variables included the presence of disability (yes, no), morbidity (yes, no), and both morbidity and disability (yes, no) among persons with functional difficulty. The relationship between the outcome and explanatory variables was determined using multilevel logistic regressions adjusted for covariates. Results: The overall acceptance rate for at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine among persons with functional difficulty was 57.37%, among persons with functional difficulty and disability was 48.63% and among persons with functional difficulty and single (57.85%) or multi-morbidity (60.37%). Compared to the respondents with functional difficulty only, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of acceptance of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals with both functional difficulty and disability was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.65-0.82) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.70-0.87) for individuals with functional difficulty, disability and one or more comorbid conditions. The aOR for individuals with functional difficulty and one or more morbid conditions was significantly higher than that for persons with functional difficulty only. Conclusion: In Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccine coverage was relatively low among individuals with disabilities. The existing COVID-19 vaccine rollout programs and similar future programs should prioritise individuals with disabilities and include targeted strategies to reach them.

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“…Older people [ 1 ], ethnic minority groups [ 2 ], people living with disability [ 3 ] and those experiencing socioeconomic deprivation [ 4 ] were disproportionately burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic through direct impacts including increased risk of hospitalisation and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection, and indirect impacts including social isolation [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital episodes for falls and fractures associated with new-onset disability and frailty in England: a national cohort study

Thomas,

Littleboy,

Foubert

et al. 2024

Age and Ageing

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Background Older people with frailty are at risk of harm from immobility or isolation, yet data about how COVID-19 lockdowns affected them are limited. Falls and fractures are easily measurable adverse outcomes correlated with frailty. We investigated whether English hospital admission rates for falls and fractures varied from the expected trajectory during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these varied by frailty status. Methods NHS England Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care data were analysed for observed versus predicted outcome rates for 24 January 2020 to 31 December 2021. An auto-regressive integrated moving average time-series model was trained using falls and fracture incidence data from 2013 to 2018 and validated using data from 2019. Models included national and age-, sex- and region-stratified forecasts. Outcome measures were hospital admissions for falls, fractures, and falls and fractures combined. Frailty was defined using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score. Results 144,148,915 pre-pandemic hospital admissions were compared with 42,267,318 admissions after pandemic onset. For the whole population, falls and fracture rates were below predicted for the first period of national lockdown, followed by a rapid return to rates close to predicted. Thereafter, rates followed expected trends. For people living with frailty, however, falls and fractures increased above expected rates during periods of national lockdown and remained elevated throughout the study period. Effects of frailty were independent of age. Conclusions People living with frailty experienced increased fall and fracture rates above expected during and following periods of national lockdown. These remained persistently elevated throughout the study period.

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities and implications for health services research

Cited by 15 publications

References 7 publications

Understanding the Early Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Brain Injury Associations Across Canada: A Qualitative Study

Understanding the Early Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Brain Injury Associations Across Canada: A Qualitative Study

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Individuals with Functional Difficulty, Disability, and Comorbid Conditions: Insights from a National Survey in Bangladesh

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital episodes for falls and fractures associated with new-onset disability and frailty in England: a national cohort study

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