Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34740346›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2021

Describing the indirect impact of COVID-19 on healthcare utilisation using syndromic surveillance systems.

Claire F Ferraro, Lucy Findlater, Roger Morbey, Helen E Hughes, Sally Harcourt, Thomas C Hughes, Alex J Elliot, Isabel Oliver, Gillian E Smith

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Claire F FerraroField Service, UK Health Security Agency, Bristol, BS1 6EH, UK. claire.ferraro@nhs.net.
Lucy FindlaterNational Institute of Health Research Health Protection Research Unit on Behavioural Science and Evaluation at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Roger MorbeyReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham, B3 2PW, UK.
Helen E HughesReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham, B3 2PW, UK.
Sally HarcourtReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham, B3 2PW, UK.
Thomas C HughesJohn Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
Alex J ElliotReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham, B3 2PW, UK.
Isabel OliverField Service, UK Health Security Agency, Bristol, BS1 6EH, UK.
Gillian E SmithReal-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Service, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham, B3 2PW, UK.
UK Health Security AgencyJohn Radcliffe Hospital · GBUniversity of Bristol · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSince the end of January 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been responsible for a global health crisis. In England a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions have been introduced throughout the pandemic, including guidelines on healthcare attendance (for example, promoting remote consultations), increased handwashing and social distancing. These interventions are likely to have impacted the incidence of non-COVID-19 conditions as well as healthcare seeking behaviour. Syndromic Surveillance Systems offer the ability to monitor trends in healthcare usage over time.

methodsThis study describes the indirect impact of COVID-19 on healthcare utilisation using a range of syndromic indicators including eye conditions, mumps, fractures, herpes zoster and cardiac conditions. Data from the syndromic surveillance systems monitored by Public Health England were used to describe the number of contacts with NHS 111, general practitioner (GP) In Hours (GPIH) and Out-of-Hours (GPOOH), Ambulance and Emergency Department (ED) services over comparable periods before and during the pandemic.

resultsThe peak pandemic period in 2020 (weeks 13-20), compared to the same period in 2019, displayed on average a 12% increase in NHS 111 calls, an 11% decrease in GPOOH consultations, and a 49% decrease in ED attendances. In the GP In Hours system, conjunctivitis consultations decreased by 64% and mumps consultations by 31%. There was a 49% reduction in attendance at EDs for fractures, and there was no longer any weekend increase in ED fracture attendances, with similar attendance patterns observed across each day of the week. There was a decrease in the number of ED attendances with diagnoses of myocardial ischaemia.

conclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted healthcare utilisation for non-COVID-19 conditions, due to a combination of a probable decrease in incidence of certain conditions and changes in healthcare seeking behaviour. Syndromic surveillance has a valuable role in describing and understanding these trends.

Indexed as

COVID-19PandemicsEmergency Service, HospitalHumansPatient Acceptance of Health CareSARS-CoV-2Sentinel SurveillanceCoronavirusEpidemiologyHealthcare utilisationPandemicSyndromic surveillanceViral

Identifiers

PMID34740346
PMCPMC8571013
OpenAlexW3208308399

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.