ArticleJournal of primary care & community health
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada.
Article in Journal of primary care & community health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted primary health care systems worldwide, prompting rapid changes in how care was delivered. In Alberta, this included a significant shift from in-person to virtual care. This study examines trends in primary care utilization among Albertans during COVID-19 and the shift toward virtual care.
methodsRepeated cross-sectional analyses were conducted from 2018/19 to 2022/23 using Alberta Health Practitioner Claims data. Utilization was measured as the proportion of Albertans with at least one visit and the annual visit rate per person. Annual percent change (APC) was calculated relative to the pre-pandemic year (2019/20) and stratified by demographics.
findingsThe proportion of Albertans with a primary care visit decreased by -9.55% in 2020/21 but recovered to -4.62% by 2022/23. Annual visit rates remained stable post-pandemic. The largest declines in 2020/21 were among children aged 5 to 11 (-38.42%), ≤4 (-33.42%), newborns (-30.36% to -25.49%), and those without health conditions (-20.9%). Virtual care accounted for 23.77% of visits in 2020/21, dropping to 14.43% by 2022/23.
conclusionsWhile fewer Albertans accessed primary care, visit rates remained stable due to virtual care. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on primary healthcare delivery.
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