The Effects of COVID-19 on Physicians’ Perceived Ability to Provide Care for Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background and objectiveThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), presents multiple, diverse challenges to providing appropriate medical care, especially in terms of medication and treatment adherence for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these barriers by potentially forcing physicians to modify their treatment plans due to limitations on in-person visits and changes to patients' financial and social support systems. It remains uncertain whether physicians believe they can provide the same standard of care using telehealth technology or other means to their patients during the pandemic. The goal of this study was to explore physician perceptions about their ability to provide care to patients with T2DM during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodologyThis cross-sectional study collected data between January 25, 2021, and February 2, 2021, using an anonymous, self-administered online survey involving DO and MD physicians including residents treating patients with T2DM. The survey was administered via REDCap and collected data on participant demographics, attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, and prior and current (COVID-19-era) experience with care for T2DM patients. Physicians registered with the Florida Department of Health with publicly available emails were invited to participate. ResultsThe survey showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, 57.9% of physicians (n=48) believed that their patients have a weaker social support system; 68.7% (n=57) modified their patient care plans due to patients' financial difficulties; 78.4% (n=65) believed a regular physical exam is necessary to properly treat patients; 48.2% (n=40) did not believe they had a more complete picture of the case with remote consultations; 47.0% (n=39) were not as satisfied with remote consultations as with face-to-face patient visits; 68.7% (n=57) believed telehealth is necessary to adequately treat patients; 38.5% (n=32) have been less likely to refer their patients to other providers or specialists; 45.8% (n=38) reported concerns over admitting their patients to the hospital for acute medical care; 61.5% (n=51) reported having more patients delay scheduling their routine follow-up care; 61.5% (n=51) believed their patients have been less compliant with the healthcare plans recommended to them. ConclusionsThe study showed that COVID-19 has significantly impacted physicians' perceptions and abilities to provide care for patients with T2DM. COVID-19 has negatively impacted several crucial aspects of diabetes management, including consistent in-person examinations, social support, and referral to other required services, which could result in long-term consequences for these patients. Furthermore, our study suggests that physicians may not be as satisfied with the care they are able to provide via remote consultations as they are with in-person visits, which has significant implications as we move toward a more teleheal...

Assessment of the Practices and Perspectives of Healthcare Providers Towards Utilization of Telemedicine for the Care of Adult Patients With Diabetes Mellitus During the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

“…The average duration of telediabetes engagement was much higher at 3.5 hours per day at the peak of the COVID-19 wave in mid-2021, compared to one hour after the ease of the wave, attributable to the stringent restrictive measures implemented during the wave, which made accessing healthcare facilities difficult along with apprehension among the public. The conversion of many healthcare facilities into specialized COVID care centers to tackle the urgent burden of the pandemic further accentuated these issues during the peak pandemic months [ 10 , 11 ]. Video calling, voice calling, and messaging were the modalities of communication used for delivering the teleconsultations in order of preference.…”

“…The lack of physical examinations, leading to a difficulty in diagnosis (92.3%) and difficulty in the management of acute conditions (72.3%), was perceived as disadvantages, observations which are in accordance with the findings of earlier studies, such as that conducted by Naik et al [ 19 ] The overall perception towards telediabetes was either positive (50.1%) or neutral (30.3%). In the study by Abidi et al [ 10 ], the main issues with telediabetes that were identified included the lack of a regular physical exam, which is perceived to be necessary to properly treat patients (78.4%) (n=65), and 48.2% did not believe that a more complete picture of the case was not available with remote consultations. In terms of satisfaction, 47.0% (n=39) were not as satisfied with remote consultations as with face-to-face patient visits.…”

Effects of delay in visiting a specialist doctor in type 2 diabetic patients on glycemic control: a retrospective cohort study with a 4-year follow-up

“…For example, the results of the study by Coma showed that during CoVid-19, patients' visits to primary care doctors decreased by 50% [17], the reasons for which could be the change in the patients' health behaviour due to the fear of contracting CoVid-19 and the social distancing measures that caused barriers to access to clinics. according to the study by abidi, CoVid-19 had a negative impact on continuous in-person examinations of diabetic patients [22]. another study conducted in Canada showed that in-person visits to specialist doctors decreased by 7.7% during the pandemic [23].…”