1. Delay or postponement of medical care among older adults in the Netherlands at earlier and later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Author
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Mizee, Marlou, Schaap, Laura A., Hoogendijk, Emiel O., and van Schoor, Natasja M.
- Subjects
EVALUATION of medical care ,HEALTH services accessibility ,HELP-seeking behavior ,TREATMENT delay (Medicine) ,COMPARATIVE studies ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,COVID-19 pandemic ,ELDER care ,LONGITUDINAL method - Abstract
Aims: The aim of the current study was to compare cancellations or postponement of medical care among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2021 and 2020. Methods: Data of respondents aged ≥ 62 years were used from the longitudinal aging study Amsterdam (LASA), collected in 2020 and 2021, directly after the main COVID-19 waves in the Netherlands. A questionnaire assessed cancellations of medical care and postponed help-seeking behavior. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results: Overall, cancellations declined from 35% in 2020 (sample n = 1128) to 17% in 2021 (sample n = 1020). Healthcare-initiated cancellations declined from 29 to 8%. Respondent-initiated cancellations declined from 12 to 7%. Postponed help-seeking remained around 8%. Conclusions: In 2021, less cancellations were reported compared to just after the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, while postponed help-seeking remained the same. It is important to investigate how cancellations and postponed help-seeking can be prevented in future pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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