The effect of the “stay‐at‐home” policy on requests for dermatology outpatient clinic visits after the COVID ‐19 outbreak

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged late in Turkey but it showed a rapid progression later. We aimed to investigate the changes in the number of patients who requested a dermatology outpatient clinic visit due to the increased social and medical burden caused by COVID-19 in Turkey during the first days of the pandemic. We also examined the most common dermatologic diseases diagnosed during the COVID-19 outbreak. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between the number of COVID-19 patients in the country and the number of patients requesting a dermatology outpatient clinic visit in the secondary and tertiary care hospitals during self-quarantine. In the first 10 days after the COVID-19 outbreak, acne (28.2%), urticaria (12.8%), scabies (12.8%), irritant contact dermatitis (10.3%), and xerosis cutis (10.2%) were the most common diseases seen in the dermatology clinic at the secondary care hospital, while acne (23.3%), warts (5.4%), seborrheic dermatitis (4.5%), urticaria (3.8%), and psoriasis (3.32%) were the most common diseases seen in the dermatology clinic at the tertiary care hospital. This is our first study on the frequency and nature of outpatient dermatology visits during this novel coronavirus pandemic. Understanding the trends and impacts of dermatologic diseases on patients and health systems during this pandemic will allow for better preparation of dermatologists in the future.

Strategies to maximize clinical efficiency while maintaining patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic: an interview-based study from private practice dermatologists

“…A large reduction in dermatologic patient volume has potential consequences as the pandemic progresses, including the accumulation of patients with worsening dermatologic conditions. Specifically, one study found an increased incidence of irritant contact dermatitis, urticaria, psoriasis, and scabies since the COVID-19 outbreak (4). In our study, dermatologists reported increased proportions of acute dermatologic issues, biopsies performed, and patients presenting for skin cancer concerns compared to pre-COVID.…”

“…Recent studies have shown that dermatology practices in the U.S. have limited their operations and experienced a large decrease in outpatient clinic visits, especially in areas with higher prevalence of COVID-19 (3,4). One study of 55 dermatologists in six different counties found that in March 2020, only 53% of dermatology practices were open (3).…”

The explosion in scabies cases during COVID ‐19 pandemic

“…2,3 Recently, we reported that not number but percentages of patients with scabies, psoriasis, urticaria, and scabies-related visits to dermatology outpatient clinic increased immediately 10 days after COVID-19 pandemic. 4 However, we observed a sudden rise in the number of scabies two months after the first case of COVID-19 in Turkey. This finding can be addressed in the context of the pandemicrelated "stay-at-home" policy which is very crucial to control the outbreak.…”

“…On the other hand, although number of patients who requests for outpatient clinics that are not directly related to the pandemic cases decreased in Turkey, most of the hospitals continued to provide health care services in all branches of medicine including dermatology. 4 All these factors may be a possible explanation of why Turkey has more scabies cases than European countries.…”

Views and experiences of dermatologists in Turkey about teledermatology during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Pandemic hospitals were formed, and nonemergency admissions to hospitals were restricted. As a result of this situation, there had been a decrease in the number of patients who were evaluated in the dermatology outpatient clinic 7‐9 …”