Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Patient-Perceived Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medication Adherence and Access to Care for Long-Term Diseases : A Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Published inCOVID, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 191-207
Publication date2024-02-08
First online date2024-02-08
Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with lifestyle changes, reduced access to care and potential impacts on medication self-management. Our main objectives are to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on patient adherence and access to care and long-term medications and determine its association with sociodemographic and clinical factors. This study is part of the Specchio-COVID-19 longitudinal cohort study in Geneva, Switzerland, conducted through an online questionnaire. Among the 982 participants (median age: 56; 61% female), 827 took long-term medications. There were 76 reported changes in medication dosages, of which 24 (31%) were without a physician’s recommendation, and 51 delays in initiation or premature medication interruptions, of which 24 (47%) were without a physician’s recommendation. Only 1% (9/827) of participants faced medication access issues. Participants taking a respiratory medication had a four-times greater odds of reporting more regular medication (OR = 4.27; CI 95%: 2.11–8.63) intake, whereas each year increase in age was significantly associated with 6% fewer relative risks of discontinuation (OR = 0.94; CI 95%: 0.91–0.97) and 3% fewer relative risks of changes in medication dosage (OR = 0.97; CI 95%: 0.95–1.00). Despite the limited impact of the pandemic on adherence and access to medications, our results emphasize the need for understanding patient challenges when self-managing their long-term medication, notably during public health crises.

Keywords
  • COVID-19
  • Medication adherence
  • Lockdown
  • Impact
  • Outpatients
  • Access to care
Citation (ISO format)
SANTOS, Beatriz et al. Patient-Perceived Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medication Adherence and Access to Care for Long-Term Diseases : A Cross-Sectional Online Survey. In: COVID, 2024, vol. 4, n° 2, p. 191–207. doi: 10.3390/covid4020015
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
Secondary files (1)
Supplemental data
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.mdpi.com/2673-8112/4/2/15
Journal ISSN2673-8112
103views
171downloads

Technical informations

Creation19/02/2024 07:54:40
First validation31/07/2024 07:27:24
Update31/07/2024 07:27:24
Status update31/07/2024 07:27:24
Last indexation01/11/2024 10:40:43
All rights reserved by Archive ouverte UNIGE and the University of GenevaunigeBlack