e-Article
Impact of COVID-19 national response on primary care utilisation in Singapore: an interrupted time-series analysis.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Tan V; Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 12 Science Drive 2, #09-01T, Singapore, 117549, Singapore.; Ang G; Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 12 Science Drive 2, #09-01T, Singapore, 117549, Singapore.; Department of Statistics and Data Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.; Tan KB; Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 12 Science Drive 2, #09-01T, Singapore, 117549, Singapore.; Ministry of Health, Singapore, Singapore.; Chen C; Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 12 Science Drive 2, #09-01T, Singapore, 117549, Singapore. ephchc@nus.edu.sg.; Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. ephchc@nus.edu.sg.; Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. ephchc@nus.edu.sg.
Source
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Since the start of the pandemic, many national responses, such as nationwide lockdowns, have been implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19. We aim to assess the impact of Singapore's national responses on primary care utilisation. We performed an interrupted time series using acute and chronic primary care data of 3 168 578 visits between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 over four periods: before any measures were put in place, during Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) Orange, when Circuit Breaker was instituted, and when Circuit Breaker was lifted. We found significant mean reductions in acute and chronic primary care visits immediately following DORSCON Orange and Circuit Breaker. DORSCON Orange was associated with - 2020 mean daily visits (95% CI - 2890 to - 1150). Circuit Breaker was associated with a further - 2510 mean daily visits (95% CI - 3660 to - 1360). Primary care utilisation for acute visits remained below baseline levels even after the Circuit Breaker was lifted. These significant reductions were observed in both acute and chronic visits, with acute visits experiencing a steeper drop during DORSCON Orange. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 measures on primary care utilisation will be useful for future public health planning.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
(© 2024. The Author(s).)