Self-reported Health Service Utilization and Barriers to Care Among US Adults with a History of Post COVID-19 Condition.

Abstract

Background: Millions of US adults continue to experience symptoms of post COVID-19 condition (PCC). More data on health service utilization patterns and barriers to care in this population are needed to understand how to care for people with PCC.

Objective: To evaluate health service utilization and barriers to medical care among individuals with a history of PCC compared with other US adults.

Design: Data were analyzed from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of the US population.

Participants: US adults.

Main measures: Health service utilization and the presence of financial and nonfinancial barriers to care in the preceding 12 months.

Key results: There were 24,905 individuals included in the analysis, representing approximately 230 million US adults. The weighted prevalence of those with a history of PCC was 6.9% (95%CI, 6.5-7.3). Compared to other US adults, participants with a history of PCC were more likely to have had an urgent care visit (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.52 [95%CI, 1.34-1.72]), emergency room visit (aOR 1.94 [95%CI 1.71-2.21]), hospitalization (aOR 1.48 [95%CI, 1.24-1.77]), rehabilitation services (aOR 1.35 [95%CI, 1.14-1.60]), home care (aOR 1.55 [95%CI, 1.66-2.26]), mental health counseling (aOR 1.39 [95%CI, 1.17-1.65]), and complementary and integrative medicine services (aOR 1.29 [95%CI, 1.13-1.49]). Furthermore, respondents with a history of PCC were more likely to report at least one financial barrier to care (aOR 1.71 [95%CI, 1.48-1.97]) and at least one nonfinancial barrier (aOR 1.77 [95%CI, 1.56-2.00]). A greater proportion of participants with a history of PCC reported a financial barrier and nonfinancial barrier than adults with most other chronic conditions captured by NHIS.

Conclusions: Individuals with a history of PCC were more likely to use a variety of health services and report barriers to medical care. Health systems should consider developing accessible, multidisciplinary care pathways for this population.