ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, healthcare resources have been repurposed to focus on COVID19. Resource reallocation and restrictions to movement that affected general access to care may have inadvertently resulted in undue disruptions in the continuum of care for patients requiring non-COVID19 healthcare services. OBJECTIVES: To describe the change in pattern of health service use in the South African (SA) private sector. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of a nationwide cohort of privately insured individuals. An analysis of claims data was performed for non-COVID19 related healthcare services provided from April 2020 to December 2020 (year 1 of COVID19) and April 2021 to December 2021 (year 2 of COVID19) relative to the same period in 2019 prior to the COVID19 pandemic in SA. Over and above plotting the monthly trends, we tested for statistical significance of the changes using a Wilcoxon test given the non-normality of all the outcomes. RESULTS: Between April and December 2020, relative to the same period in 2021, and also relative to the same period in 2019, we found a 31.9% (p<0.01) and a 16.6% (p<0.01) reduction in emergency room visits, respectively; a 35.9% (p<0.01) and 20.5% (p<0.01) reduction in medical hospital admissions; a 27.4% (p=0.01) and 13.0% (p=0.03) reduction in surgical hospital admissions; a 14.5% (p<0.01) and 4.1% (p=0.16) reduction in face-to-face general practitioner consultations for chronic members; a 24.9% (p=0.06) and 5.2% (p=0.54) reduction in mammography for female members; a 23.4% (p=0.03) and 10.8% (p=0.09) reduction in Pap smear screenings for female members; a 16.5% (p=0.08) and 12.1% (p=0.27) reduction in colorectal cancer registrations and an 18.2% (p=0.08) and 8.9% (p=0.07) decrease in all oncology diagnoses. Uptake of telehealth services throughout the healthcare delivery system increased by 5 708% in 2020 compared with 2019, and 36.1% for 2021 compared with 2020. CONCLUSION: A significant reduction in emergency room visits, hospital admissions and utilisation of primary care services was observed since the start of the pandemic. Further research is required to understand if there are long-term consequences of delayed care. An increase in the use of digital consultations was observed. Research on their acceptability and effectiveness may open new modalities of care, which may have cost- and time-saving benefits.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Adult , Female , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics , Private Sector , Retrospective Studies , South Africa/epidemiology , Delivery of Health CareABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to determine what changes wedding vendors had to make to survive the global COVID-19 pandemic. Specific focus was placed on how wedding vendor entrepreneurs use creativity, innovation, networking and advertising as a competitive advantage. Qualitative research was conducted which reflects individuals' perspectives, beliefs, attitudes and experiences. Semi-structured interviews took place electronically through online voice calling due to the global pandemic. The individual participants, each representing their own business, were interviewed to gain a better understanding of entrepreneurship in the wedding industry. It is evident that all the vendors adapted during the global COVID-19 pandemic, and that dealing with future opportunities by linking these to loyalty and creativity are essential aspects of entrepreneurship in the wedding industry. The global pandemic proved the importance of how the wedding industry is dynamic where individuals are required to wear different hats and be flexible, as businesses were forced to adapt and reposition themselves during and after COVID-19 as a method of survival. It is recommended that vendors ensure the utilisation of existing resources and branch off into new avenues—not necessarily entering into new markets or new industries, but rather focusing on complementary products or services. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.