The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Cardiology Services

Fersia, Omar; Bryant, Sue Lacey; Nicholson, Rachael; McMeeken, K.; Brown, Carolyn; Donaldson, Brenda; Jardine, Aaron; Grierson, Valerie; Whalen, Vanessa; Mackay, Alastair M.

doi:10.1101/2020.06.10.20126458

Cited by 19 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The reduction in CVD contacts is consistent with reports from other UK studies. 18,41 Taken alongside findings of similar reductions in Emergency Department presentations and hospital admissions for cardiovascular outcomes in the UK, our findings highlight an area of major concern, 3,42 particularly as evidence from France indicates increased out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. 43 Severe COVID-19 affects the cardiovascular system; 44 hence, increased primary and secondary care presentations for CVD are expected.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

COVID-19 collateral: Indirect acute effects of the pandemic on physical and mental health in the UK

Mansfield

Mathur

Tazare

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Concerns have been raised that the response to the UK COVID-19 pandemic may have worsened physical and mental health, and reduced use of health services. However, the scale of the problem is unquantified, impeding development of effective mitigations. We asked what has happened to general practice contacts for acute physical and mental health outcomes during the pandemic? Methods: Using electronic health records from the Clinical Research Practice Datalink (CPRD) Aurum (2017-2020), we calculated weekly primary care contacts for selected acute physical and mental health conditions (including: anxiety, depression, acute alcohol-related events, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] exacerbations, cardiovascular and diabetic emergencies). We used interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to formally quantify changes in conditions after the introduction of population-wide restrictions ('lockdown') compared to the period prior to their introduction in March 2020. Findings: The overall population included 9,863,903 individuals on 1st January 2017. Primary care contacts for all conditions dropped dramatically after introduction of population-wide restrictions. By July 2020, except for unstable angina and acute alcohol-related events, contacts for all conditions had not recovered to pre-lockdown levels. The largest reductions were for contacts for: diabetic emergencies (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.25-0.50), depression (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.52-0.53), and self-harm (OR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.54-0.58). Interpretation: There were substantial reductions in primary care contacts for acute physical and mental conditions with restrictions, with limited recovery by July 2020. It is likely that much of the deficit in care represents unmet need, with implications for subsequent morbidity and premature mortality. The conditions we studied are sufficiently severe that any unmet need will have substantial ramifications for the people experiencing the conditions and healthcare provision. Maintaining access must be a key priority in future public health planning (including further restrictions). Funding: Wellcome Trust Senior Fellowship (SML), Health Data Research UK.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

COVID-19 collateral: Indirect acute effects of the pandemic on physical and mental health in the UK

Mansfield

Mathur

Tazare

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Similar to Fersla et al in the United Kingdom, we found a significant drop in cardiology units' admissions and a significant reduction in the overall cardiology activities including outpatient clinics, investigations, procedures and community services such as cardiac rehabilitation (6).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

A multinational e-survey on the delivery of cardiology services in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic: what should we expect after this pandemic?

Nganou–Gnindjio

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of cardiology services in Africa. Design: Cross-sectional e-survey study. Setting: African countries Participants: Cardiologists Primary and Secondary outcomes measures: The primary outcome was the change in service delivery in African cardiology units during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary outcomes were the satisfaction of cardiologists with regards to the workload and factors associated with this satisfaction. Results: There was a significant reduction in working time and the number of patients consulted by week during this pandemic (p<0.001). In general, there was a decrease in the overall activities in cardiovascular care delivery. The majority of cardiology services (76.5%) and consulting programs (85%) were adjusted to the pandemic. Only half of the participants were satisfied with their workload. Reconfiguration of the consultation schedule was associated with a reduced satisfaction of participants (p=0.02). Conclusions: COVID-19 is associated with an overall reduction in cardiology services rendered in Africa. Since the cardiovascular burdens continue to increase in this part of the World and the risk of cardiovascular complications linked to SARS COV2 remains unchanged cardiology, departments in Africa should anticipate a significant surge of cardiology services demanded by patients after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…It is worth mentioning that because this pandemic is unprecedented and its impact on the delivery of cardiology services have not been much explored, data on the relationship between COVID-19 and cardiology services are scarce. Similar to Fersla et al in the United Kingdom, we found a signi cant drop in cardiology units' admissions and a signi cant reduction in the overall cardiology activities including outpatient clinics, investigations, procedures and community services such as cardiac rehabilitation (6). The new adaptation of the consultation programs was not appreciated by half of the clinicians, probably because it decreased their workload and consequently resulted in a reduction of their remuneration.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…This implies the cautious generalization of the study ndings. However, the results of this pilot study were similar to trends seen abroad (6). Hence, the ndings imply a scale-up in the delivery of cardiology services in Africa during and after the pandemic geared at better patient management COVID-19 patients.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…At the time of this write-up, little was known about the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of cardiology services. Fersla and colleagues in the UK found a 50% drop in cardiology departments' admissions and a signi cant reduction in overall cardiology activities including outpatient consultations, diagnostic testing's, procedures and cardiology community services such as cardiac rehabilitation (6). With an extensive literature search, to the best of our knowledge, the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of cardiology services has not been reported on the African continent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Delivery of Cardiology Services in Africa During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Should We Expect After This Pandemic?

Nganou–Gnindjio

Temgoua

Kuaté

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundCOVID-19 is a global public health crisis that affects all sectors; studying the impact of this pandemic on the delivery of cardiology services in Africa is crucial as COVID-19-related cardiovascular complications may worsen the CVD burden in this already highly affected and resource-limited continentMethodsThis was a cross-sectional e-survey study conducted amongst cardiologists in African countries. The primary outcome was the change in service delivery in African cardiology units during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary outcomes were the satisfaction of cardiologists with regards to the workload and factors associated with this satisfaction.ResultsThere was a significant reduction in working time and the number of patients consulted by week during this pandemic (p<0.001). In general, there was a decrease in the overall activities in cardiovascular care delivery. The majority of cardiology services (76.5%) and consulting programs (85%) were adjusted to the pandemic. Only half of the participants were satisfied with their workload. Reconfiguration of the consultation schedule was associated with a reduced satisfaction of participants (p=0.02).ConclusionsCOVID-19 is associated with an overall reduction in cardiology services rendered in Africa. Since the cardiovascular burdens continue to increase in this part of the World and the risk of cardiovascular complications linked to SARS COV2 remains unchanged cardiology, departments in Africa should anticipate a significant surge of cardiology services demanded by patients after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Cardiology Services

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

COVID-19 collateral: Indirect acute effects of the pandemic on physical and mental health in the UK

COVID-19 collateral: Indirect acute effects of the pandemic on physical and mental health in the UK

A multinational e-survey on the delivery of cardiology services in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic: what should we expect after this pandemic?

Delivery of Cardiology Services in Africa During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Should We Expect After This Pandemic?

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