Coronavirus Disease Pandemic Effect on Medical-Seeking Behaviors Even in One Resource-Competent Community: A Case Controlled Study

Fang Wang, Jin-Ming Wu, Yi-Chieh Lin, Te-Wei Ho, Hui-Lin Lin, Hsi-Yu Yu () and I-Rue Lai ()
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Fang Wang: Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Jin-Ming Wu: Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Yi-Chieh Lin: Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan
Te-Wei Ho: Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Hui-Lin Lin: Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Hsi-Yu Yu: Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100, Taiwan
I-Rue Lai: Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-9

Abstract: (1) Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had overwhelming impacts on medical services. During its initial surge, Taiwan was unique in maintaining its medical services without imposing travel restrictions, which provided an ideal environment in which to test if the fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 interfered with health-seeking behavior (HSB). We tested this hypothesis among adults with acute complicated appendicitis (ACA). (2) Methods: Adults with acute appendicitis were enrolled between 1 January and 30 June 2020 (COVID-19 period). The first two quarters of the preceding 3 years were defined as a historical control group. Outcome measures included the rate of ACA and the number of hospital stays. (3) Results: The COVID-19 era included 145 patients with acute appendicitis. Compared to the historical control (320 patients), the COVID-19 era was significantly associated with a higher length of symptom duration until presentation to the emergency room within >48 h (17.2% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.011), a higher incidence of ACA (29.7% vs. 19.4%, p = 0.014), and a longer length of hospital stays (5.0 days vs. 4.0 days, p = 0.043). The adjusted models showed that the COVID-19 period had a significant relationship with a higher rate of ACA (odds ratio (OR) = 1.87; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23–2.52; p = 0.008) and longer length of hospital stays (OR= 2.10; 95% CI: 0.92 to 3.31; p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The fear of COVID-19 may prohibit patients from seeking medical help, worsening their clinical outcomes. The surgical community should take action to provide scientific information to relive mental stress.

Keywords: health-seeking behavior; COVID-19; appendicitis; surgical care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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