Assessing the indirect effects of COVID-19 on healthcare delivery, utilization and health outcomes: a scoping review.
Charlotte M RoyE Brennan BollmanLaura M CarsonAlexander J NorthropElizabeth F JacksonRachel T MoreskyPublished in: European journal of public health (2021)
Healthcare utilization for non-COVID-19 conditions has decreased almost universally, across both high- and lower-income countries. The pandemic's impact on non-COVID-19 health outcomes, particularly for chronic diseases, may take years to fully manifest and should be a topic of ongoing study. Future research should be tied to system improvement and the promotion of health equity, with researchers identifying potentially actionable findings for national, regional and local health leadership. Public health professionals must also seek to address the disparity in published data from LMICs as compared with high-income countries.