Continuity of Care Among Postmenopausal Women With Cardiometabolic Diseases in the United States Early During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From the Women's Health Initiative.

BACKGROUND: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures, including stay-at-home orders, were widely instituted in the United States by March 2020. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of these measures on continuity of care among older adults living with chronic diseases. METHODS: Beginning in June 2020, participants of the national Women's Health Initiative (WHI) (N = 64 061) were surveyed on the impact of the pandemic on various aspects of their health and well-being since March 2020, including access to care appointments, medications, and caregivers. Responses received by November 2020 (response rate = 77.6%) were tabulated and stratified by prevalent chronic diseases, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). RESULTS: Among 49 695 respondents (mean age = 83.6 years), 70.2% had a history of hypertension, 21.8% had diabetes, and 18.9% had CVD. Half of the respondents reported being very concerned about the pandemic, and 24.5% decided against seeking medical care to avoid COVID-19 exposure. A quarter reported difficulties with getting routine care, and 45.5% had in-person appointments converted to telemedicine formats; many reported canceled (27.8%) or rescheduled (37.7%) appointments. Among those taking prescribed medication (88.0%), 9.7% reported changing their method of obtaining medications. Those living with and without chronic diseases generally reported similar changes in care and medication access. CONCLUSIONS: Early in the pandemic, many older women avoided medical care or adapted to new ways of receiving care and medications. Therefore, optimizing alternative services, like telemedicine, should be prioritized to ensure that older women continue to receive quality care during public health emergencies.

COVID-19 and Physician Assistant Faculty Burnout: A Year into the Pandemic.

PURPOSE: The psychological effects of COVID-19 have been extensive and have affected health care workers and educators alike. The aims of this study were to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted PA faculty and their attitudes toward work. METHODS: Two quantitative, pre/post surveys were offered to 21 PA faculty at one institution prior to and then one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. PA faculty perceptions of workplace culture and burnout were included in the online surveys. RESULTS: Data were collected on 17 PA faculty (81% response rate). There was a statistically nonsignificant decrease in faculty disengagement (2.1 v 2.1, p = 0.87) and a statistically significant increase in faculty exhaustion (2.2 v 2.5, p = 0.005). There were statistically significant increases in communication, value, job satisfaction, and wellbeing workplace items. CONCLUSION: As many workplace protocols remain changed as a result of COVID-19, institutions should monitor and adjust processes to reduce the risk of burnout for faculty.