Open AccessImpact of COVID-19 on chronic pain structures: data from French national survey
Author(s) -
Meggane Melchior,
Mikhail Dziadzko,
Séverine Conradi,
Pierrick Poisbeau,
Frédéric Aubrun
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of comparative effectiveness research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.567
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 2042-6313
pISSN - 2042-6305
DOI - 10.2217/cer-2022-0003
Subject(s) - workload , workflow , medicine , covid-19 , pandemic , telemedicine , survey data collection , nursing , family medicine , health care , database , disease , pathology , computer science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , economic growth , operating system , statistics , mathematics , virology , outbreak
Aims: The authors evaluated the impact of the first COVID-19 pandemic wave on French chronic pain structures (CPS). Methods: An online survey assessed CPS resource allocation, workflow and perceived impact on patient care. Results: All CPS workflow was severely impacted by the reallocation of 42% of specialists. In-person appointments were cancelled by 72% of participants. Follow-up was maintained in 91% of participants (telemedicine). Skills in end-of-life decision-making/counseling were rarely solicited. The perceived impact of the crisis on the experience of patients was high (eight out of ten), with a significant increase in access-to-care delay. Conclusion: CPS maintained patient follow-up. Special features of CPS specialists were rarely solicited by COVID-19 teams experiencing a high workload. Recommendations on optimal CPS resource reallocations have to be standardized in crisis conditions.