Was size of healthcare institution a factor affecting changes in healthcare utilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea? A retrospective study design analysing national healthcare big data.

The external impact of the pandemic increased incrementally as the size of healthcare institutions decreased. Healthcare policy-makers need to keep in mind the possibility that small hospitals and clinics may experience reduced healthcare utilisation in the infectious disease pandemic. This fact has political implications for how healthcare policy-makers should prepare for the next infectious disease pandemic.