Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women's Health Care Access: A Cross-Sectional Study.
J Womens Health (Larchmt)
; 2022 Oct 31.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2097266
ABSTRACT
Background:
There has been limited study of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected women's health care access. Our study aims to examine the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19-related disruptions to (1) primary care; (2) gynecologic care; and (3) preventive health care among women. Materials andMethods:
We recruited 4,000 participants from a probability-based online panel. We conducted four multinomial logistic regression models, one for each of the studyoutcomes:
(1) primary care access; (2) gynecologic care access; (3) patient-initiated disruptions to preventive visits; and (4) provider-initiated disruptions to preventive visits.Results:
The sample included 1,285 women. One in four women (28.5%) reported that the pandemic affected their primary care access. Sexual minority women (SMW) (odds ratios [OR] 1.67; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.19-2.33) had higher odds of reporting pandemic-related effects on primary care access compared to women identifying as heterosexual. Cancer survivors (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.25-3.42) had higher odds of reporting pandemic-related effects on primary care access compared to women without a cancer history. About 16% of women reported that the pandemic affected their gynecologic care access. Women with a cancer history (OR 2.34; 95% CI 1.35-4.08) had higher odds of reporting pandemic-related effects on gynecologic care compared to women without a cancer history. SMW were more likely to report patient- and provider-initiated delays in preventive health care. Other factors that affected health care access included income, insurance status, and having a usual source of care.Conclusions:
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted women's health care access and disproportionately affected access among SMW and women with a cancer history, suggesting that targeted interventions may be needed to ensure adequate health care access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Language:
English
Journal subject:
Gynecology
/
Women's Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Jwh.2022.0128
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