tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
BMJ Open
. 2024 Jul 17;14(7):e079832.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079832. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of patients with cardiovascular disease in Australia: mixed-methods study
Ritu Trivedi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Allison Jaure[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jason Chiang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ayesha Thaliph[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tim Shaw[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Clara K Chow[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Liliana Laranjo[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Objectives: The study explored the perceived impacts of COVID-19 and its associated policies and social restrictions on health, self-management and access to healthcare.
Design: Cross-sectional observational (online survey) and qualitative study (semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis).
Setting: Australia.
Participants: People with self-reported cardiovascular disease (CVD) and/or risk factors.
Results: Survey responses were collected from 690 participants (43.8% women, 40.1% over 65 years). Participants reported that their heart health had been affected by the pandemic (26.3%), were less likely to exercise (47.1%), have a healthy diet (25.9%) and take medications (9.4%). A large proportion were admitted to hospital (46.2%) and presented to the emergency department (40.6%). Difficulties in accessing healthcare providers (53.2%) and use of telemedicine (63.6%) were reported. We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews and identified five key themes: adding burden in seeking medical care, impediments in accessing a readjusted health system, exacerbating vulnerability and distress, coping with self-management and adapting to telehealth.
Conclusions: Patients with CVD expressed an additional burden in seeking medical care and difficulties navigating a readjusted health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Associated policies and access issues heightened vulnerabilities and distress, making self-management of health difficult for patients with CVD.
Keywords: COVID-19; cardiology; qualitative research.
. 2024 Jul 17;14(7):e079832.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079832. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of patients with cardiovascular disease in Australia: mixed-methods study
Ritu Trivedi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Allison Jaure[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jason Chiang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ayesha Thaliph[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tim Shaw[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Clara K Chow[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Liliana Laranjo[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39019628
- DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079832
Objectives: The study explored the perceived impacts of COVID-19 and its associated policies and social restrictions on health, self-management and access to healthcare.
Design: Cross-sectional observational (online survey) and qualitative study (semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis).
Setting: Australia.
Participants: People with self-reported cardiovascular disease (CVD) and/or risk factors.
Results: Survey responses were collected from 690 participants (43.8% women, 40.1% over 65 years). Participants reported that their heart health had been affected by the pandemic (26.3%), were less likely to exercise (47.1%), have a healthy diet (25.9%) and take medications (9.4%). A large proportion were admitted to hospital (46.2%) and presented to the emergency department (40.6%). Difficulties in accessing healthcare providers (53.2%) and use of telemedicine (63.6%) were reported. We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews and identified five key themes: adding burden in seeking medical care, impediments in accessing a readjusted health system, exacerbating vulnerability and distress, coping with self-management and adapting to telehealth.
Conclusions: Patients with CVD expressed an additional burden in seeking medical care and difficulties navigating a readjusted health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Associated policies and access issues heightened vulnerabilities and distress, making self-management of health difficult for patients with CVD.
Keywords: COVID-19; cardiology; qualitative research.