Clinical and bioethical implications of health care interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in outpatients with rheumatic diseases

Guillermo A Guaracha-Basáñez, Irazú Contreras-Yáñez, Gabriela Hernández-Molina, Anayanci González-Marín, Lexli D Pacheco-Santiago, Salvador S Valverde-Hernández, Ingris Peláez-Ballestas and Virginia Pascual-Ramos

PLOS ONE, 2021, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Background: To determine the impact of health care interruption (HCI), on clinical status of the patients reincorporated to an outpatient clinic for rheumatic diseases (OCDIR), from a tertiary care level center who was temporally switched to a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, and to provide a bioethical analysis. Methods: From March to June 2020, the OCDIR was closed; since June, it is limited to evaluate 25% of the ongoing outpatients. This cross-sectional study surveyed 670 consecutive rheumatic outpatients between June 24th and October 31th, concomitant to the assessment of the rheumatic disease clinical status by the attendant rheumatologist, according to disease activity level, clinical deterioration and adequate/inadequate control. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified factors associated to HCI and to clinical deterioration. Results: Patients were middle-aged females (86.7%), with median disease duration of 10 years, comorbidity (38.5%) and 138 patients (20.6%) had discontinued treatment. Primary diagnoses were SLE and RA, in 285 (42.5%) and 223 (33.3%) patients, respectively. Conclusions: HCI during COVID-19 pandemic impacted course of rheumatic diseases and need to be considered in the bioethical analysis of virus containment measures.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0253718

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253718

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