ArticleBMC primary care2025
Insights into the morbidity profiles of epidemiologically excluded COVID-19 patients in primary care settings during the third wave of the pandemic in the Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka.
Article in BMC primary care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted healthcare systems worldwide, leading to changes in the delivery of healthcare services. A profound effect on the well-being of non-COVID-19 patients has been reported, but limited evidence is available from developing countries. This study aimed to describe the morbidity profiles of epidemiologically excluded COVID-19 patients during the pandemic in the primary care setting of the Anuradhapura District of Sri Lanka.
methodsThis cross-sectional healthcare institution-based study collected morbidity profiles from six state-owned and five private primary care facilities (PCFs) in the Anuradhapura District during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reasons for Encounters (RFEs) were recorded from physically available and epidemiologically excluded COVID-19 patients in a paper-based data format and coded using the International Classification of Primary Care.
resultsOut of 1630 primary care encounters, 187 RFEs were identified. Most patients were females (n = 899, 55%) and in the adult age category (n = 1297, 79%). The median age of the patients was 39 years (interquartile range: 21-55). Older patients were likelier to seek primary care in the state sector (p < .001). Most children presented to the private sector compared to state PCFs (p < 0.001). The majority of females significantly utilised state sector PCFs (p = 0.043). Upper respiratory tract infections (n = 154, 9.00%) were the most common RFE. The highest burden of systemic RFEs was associated with dermatological (n = 294, 18%) and respiratory conditions (n = 274, 16%). More than one-third of adults (n = 487, 37.5%) suffered from a self-reported non-communicable disease (NCD). Hypertension (n = 235, 48%), diabetes mellitus (n = 184, 38%), and dyslipidemia (n = 134, 28%) were the most observed NCDs. Multimorbidity was reported in 195 (40%) adult patients with an NCD.
conclusionThe pandemic has led to a shift in primary care morbidity profiles, with a higher incidence of dermatological and respiratory diseases and NCDs among healthcare seekers. Patients sought care from the state and private sector differently depending on age, sex, and nature of illness. Primary care services must prepare to adapt to changes in healthcare-seeking patterns and morbidity profiles during pandemics to ensure comprehensive care is available on demand.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.