Accesibilidad a medicamentos usados para el tratamiento de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles durante la pandemia por COVID-19, Chiclayo- Perú, 2021

Objective: To describe the accessibility of medicines used to treat chronic non-communicable diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chiclayo city. Materials and Methods: The present study was observational, descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective, with a sample of 386 participants, conducted with a questionnaire validated by expert judgment and established reliability through a pilot test. It was structured in two sections, covering sociodemographic, economic and health characteristics of patients with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic and the four dimensions of accessibility (physical availability, affordability, geographic accessibility and acceptability). Results: 92.5% didn’t had full accessibility to medicines. 45.9%, 53.4%, 83.9% and 23.3% had physical availability, affordability, geographic accessibility and acceptability of medicines, respectively. When accessibility was related to associated factors, it was found that there was a statistically significant relationship (p<0.05) with age, number of people living in thehousehold, monthly income, number of medications and evolution of the disease. Conclusion: The majority of patients treated in health centers and hospitals in Chiclayo did not have full accessibility to their medications during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this was related to the number of people, monthly income, evolution of the disease, age and number of medications.