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Background: COVID-19 has brought changes in daily life and increased the medical burden. This study aims to evaluate the delays in healthcare services and related factors in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We took a nationally representative sample and conducted a mobile phone-based survey. The study was conducted anonymously. Of the 3377 subjects who consented to participate, a total of 2097 finished the survey. The primary outcome was respondents' experiences with delayed (1) health screenings, (2) non-urgent medical visits, (3) medical visits for chronic disease, and (4) emergency visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results: Of 2097 respondents, females, residents of the Seoul metropolitan area, those with private insurance, those without chronic diseases, smokers, and drinkers had higher risk of delays in health screening and non-urgent medical visits after adjustment. Among chronic disease patients, those who were over 60 years old (adjusted odds ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.14-0.92) showed lower risk of delayed medical visit. Residents of the Seoul metropolitan area, those with private insurance, smokers, and drinkers were all associated with experiencing delayed health screening and non-urgent medical visits had higher risk of delays in chronic disease visits and emergent medical visits.
Conclusions: Delayed access to healthcare services is associated with poor outcomes and may cause different complications. Efforts are needed to prevent delays in medical use due to infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Considering the possibility of the emergence of infectious diseases, various countermeasures are needed to prevent delays in medical visit.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9265238 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2022.07.003 | DOI Listing |
JMIR Res Protoc
September 2025
Division of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Medical School, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Background: Approximately 69% of Americans with spinal cord injury (SCI) have neuropathic pain. Research suggests that impairments in mental body representations (MBRs; ie, representations of the body in the brain) likely contribute to neuropathic pain. Clinical trials in adults with SCI, focused on restoring MBR, led to improvements in sensation and movement as well as neuropathic pain relief.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Pediatr Parent
September 2025
Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Background: Alone time with health care providers is critical for adolescents, and several professional organizations recommend it. Alone time with providers promotes better utilization of health services, empowers adolescents to manage their health, and facilitates discussions on sensitive issues. However, only 40% of adolescents have private conversations with clinicians during visits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiabetes Care
September 2025
Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, Northern Health, Epping, Victoria, Australia.
Objective: New approaches to diabetes care are needed to better identify and manage diabetes emergencies outside of hospitals.
Research Design And Methods: A descriptive analysis of routinely collected data was conducted using data from the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) Diabetes, a telehealth service that provides emergency care, including ketone testing by ambulance personnel, for patients across Victoria, Australia, experiencing non-life-threatening diabetes-related emergencies.
Results: Between July and December 2024, VVED Diabetes managed 868 diabetes-related emergencies, with 82.
PLoS One
September 2025
Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a globally recognised public health threat. In rural China, antibiotic use is common for acute respiratory infections (ARIs), which include symptoms such as coughing and fever that are most likely viral infections but with a small proportion as bacterial infections. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive intervention based on C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A point-of-care testing (CRP&SAA POCT) in reducing the inappropriate use of antibiotics for ARIs in Chinese village clinics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAMA Pediatr
September 2025
Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Importance: Neonatal intensive care has advanced over recent decades, yet premature birth remains associated with increased neonatal mortality and morbidity.
Objective: To describe health service use, morbidity, and medication needs up to age 5 years in a contemporary cohort of children born preterm.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This population-based cohort study was conducted in British Columbia (BC), Canada, using health service and pharmacy data linked using provincial administrative databases.