ArticleHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2024
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Utilization of Healthcare Services and Spending Patterns in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of COVID-19 on breast cancer screening: time series analysis of pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic periods.Central European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Cost of Breast Cancer Treatment by Comorbidity in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates: A Retrospective Data Analytical Approach.European journal of breast health · 2026Article
- Health system development and utilisation in Kuwait, 2011-2022: insights from national healthcare data.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Epidemiological and histopathological spectrum of gastrointestinal tract disorders: a decade of records from the UAE.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Global Burden and Trends of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma in the Elderly Population: Analysis of Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025Article
- The Family Doctor in the "COVID-19 Era".Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Perceptions of Long COVID Patients Regarding Health Assistance: Insights from a Qualitative Study in Spain.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2024Article
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Gulf Countries: A Narrative Review.Cureus · 2024Review
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic affected the utilization of healthcare services in many parts of the world. The response to the healthcare burden imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with ensuring the provision of optimum healthcare services. This study aimed to estimate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on health services utilization and spending patterns in Dubai, the UAE.
methodsThis cross-sectional study used secondary data on healthcare utilization and spending to compare between 2019 and 2020. The data was extracted from the health insurance claims on the eClaimLink platform. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to calculate the percent change of service utilization and spending and percentages of total claims by each encounter type across major diagnostic categories (MDCs).
resultsIn 2020, there was an overall reduction in outpatient visits and inpatient admissions of 27% and 21%, respectively, compared to 2019. Outpatient visits and prescriptions decreased across all the MDCs except mental and behavioral disorders, which showed an increase of 8% in outpatient visits and 29% in prescriptions. The admissions to the healthcare facilities were also reduced significantly across various MDCs, ranging from 10% to 44%. Similarly, a downward trend was seen in diagnostics for different MDCs. An increase in expenditure on diagnostics and drugs for neoplasm was reported, despite a corresponding decrease in outpatient and inpatient admissions for the same.
conclusionA significant decrease in overall healthcare utilization and corresponding healthcare spending, resulting from a decline in outpatient and inpatient volume in healthcare facilities at all the levels (hospitals, clinics, speciality centres), was reported during the pandemic. The impact of the pandemic on mental health was reported by this study, as it showed an upward trend in utilization and spending. For the neoplasms, although the utilization declined, the expenditure on diagnostics and drugs during each encounter increased significantly.
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