PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Homburg, Maarten
AU  - Berger, Marjolein
AU  - Berends, Matthijs
AU  - Meijer, Eline
AU  - Kupers, Thijmen
AU  - Ramerman, Lotte
AU  - Rijpkema, Corinne
AU  - de Schepper, Evelien
AU  - olde Hartman, Tim
AU  - Muris, Jean
AU  - Verheij, Robert
AU  - Peters, Lilian
TI  - Dutch GP healthcare consumption in COVID-19 heterogeneous regions: an interregional time-series approach in 2020–2021
AID  - 10.3399/BJGPO.2023.0121
DP  - 2024 Jul 01
TA  - BJGP Open
PG  - BJGPO.2023.0121
VI  - 8
IP  - 2
4099  - http://bjgpopen.org/content/8/2/BJGPO.2023.0121.short
4100  - http://bjgpopen.org/content/8/2/BJGPO.2023.0121.full
SO  - BJGP Open2024 Jul 01; 8
AB  - Background Many countries observed a sharp decline in the use of general practice services after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, research has not yet considered how changes in healthcare consumption varied among regions with the same restrictive measures but different COVID-19 prevalence.Aim To investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare consumption in Dutch general practice during 2020 and 2021, among regions with known heterogeneity in COVID-19 prevalence, from a pre-pandemic baseline in 2019.Design & setting Population-based cohort study using electronic health records. The study was undertaken in Dutch general practices involved in regional research networks.Method An interrupted time-series analysis of changes in healthcare consumption from before to during the pandemic was performed. Descriptive statistics were used on the number of potential COVID-19-related contacts, reason for contact, and type of contact.Results The study covered 3 595 802 contacts (425 639 patients), 3 506 637 contacts (433 340 patients), and 4 105 413 contacts (434 872 patients) in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Time-series analysis revealed a significant decrease in healthcare consumption after the outbreak of the pandemic. Despite interregional heterogeneity in COVID-19 prevalence, healthcare consumption decreased comparably over time in the three regions, before rebounding to a level significantly higher than baseline in 2021. Physical consultations transitioned to phone or digital over time.Conclusion Healthcare consumption decreased irrespective of the regional prevalence of COVID-19 from the start of the pandemic, with the Delta variant triggering a further decrease. Overall, changes in care consumption appeared to reflect contextual factors and societal restrictions rather than infection rates.