The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on outpatient visits for patients with cancer in Iran: an interrupted time series analysis.

IF 3.2 3区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Archives of Public Health Pub Date : 2025-01-06 DOI:10.1186/s13690-024-01482-3

Siavash Beiranvand, Meysam Behzadifar, Aidin Aryankhesal, Seyed Jafar Ehsanzadeh, Banafshe Darvishi Teli, Masoud Behzadifar

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, affecting routine medical services, including for cancer patients. This study investigates the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on outpatient visits for patients with cancer in Iran.

Methods: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) on data collected from electronic medical records. The ITSA methodology was employed to analyze monthly outpatient visits for patients with cancer data from March 2017 to January 2023 in Lorestan University of Medical Sciences.

Results: Following the announcement of Covid-19 in Iran, outpatient visits for patients with cancer decreased immediately and sharply, with a mean of 247.08 visits per month, which has a 95% confidence interval of [-297; -197]. Subsequent waves in June 2020, September 2020, April 2021, July 2021, and January 2022 further affected outpatient visits. However, the initiation of Covid-19 vaccination, particularly for cancer patients, marked a positive turning point, leading to an increase of 156.39 outpatient visits between January and February 2022.

Conclusion: Our study provides critical insights into the dynamic relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic, patient behavior, and cancer care utilization. The observed decrease in outpatient visits underscores the multifaceted challenges faced by cancer patients during the pandemic, while the positive influence of vaccination signals a pathway towards recovery. The importance of vaccination is highlighted as a key factor in improving outpatient visit rates. As healthcare systems adapt to ongoing challenges, understanding the complex interplay between public health crises and patient behavior is crucial for shaping resilient and patient-centric healthcare systems.

查看原文本刊更多论文

2019冠状病毒病大流行对伊朗癌症患者门诊就诊的影响：中断时间序列分析

背景：2019冠状病毒病大流行给全球卫生保健系统带来了前所未有的挑战，影响了包括癌症患者在内的常规医疗服务。本研究调查了Covid-19大流行对伊朗癌症患者门诊就诊的影响。方法：对电子病历数据进行中断时间序列分析（ITSA）。采用ITSA方法分析Lorestan Medical Sciences大学2017年3月至2023年1月癌症患者的每月门诊就诊数据。结果：在伊朗宣布新冠肺炎疫情后，癌症患者的门诊次数立即急剧下降，平均每月247.08次，95%可信区间为[-297；-197]。2020年6月、2020年9月、2021年4月、2021年7月和2022年1月的后续浪潮进一步影响了门诊就诊。然而，Covid-19疫苗接种的开始，特别是针对癌症患者的疫苗接种，标志着一个积极的转折点，导致2022年1月至2月期间门诊人次增加了156.39人次。结论：我们的研究为Covid-19大流行、患者行为和癌症护理利用之间的动态关系提供了重要见解。所观察到的门诊就诊减少凸显了癌症患者在大流行期间面临的多方面挑战，而疫苗接种的积极影响则标志着一条康复之路。疫苗接种的重要性被强调为提高门诊就诊率的关键因素。随着医疗保健系统适应持续的挑战，了解公共卫生危机和患者行为之间复杂的相互作用对于塑造弹性和以患者为中心的医疗保健系统至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Archives of Public Health Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

3.00%

发文量

244

审稿时长

16 weeks

期刊介绍： rchives of Public Health is a broad scope public health journal, dedicated to publishing all sound science in the field of public health. The journal aims to better the understanding of the health of populations. The journal contributes to public health knowledge, enhances the interaction between research, policy and practice and stimulates public health monitoring and indicator development. The journal considers submissions on health outcomes and their determinants, with clear statements about the public health and policy implications. Archives of Public Health welcomes methodological papers (e.g., on study design and bias), papers on health services research, health economics, community interventions, and epidemiological studies dealing with international comparisons, the determinants of inequality in health, and the environmental, behavioural, social, demographic and occupational correlates of health and diseases.