The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Adult and Pediatric Allergy & Immunology Services in the UK National Health Service.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract
; 9(2): 709-722.e2, 2021 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33271350
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic imposed multiple restrictions on health care services.OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the impact of the pandemic on Allergy & Immunology (A&I) services in the United Kingdom.METHODS:
A national survey of all A&I services registered with the Royal College of Physicians and/or the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology was carried out. The survey covered staffing, facilities, personal protective equipment, appointments & patient review, investigations, treatments, and research activity. Weeks commencing February 3, 2020 (pre-coronavirus disease), April 6, 2020, and May 8, 2020, were used as reference points for the data set.RESULTS:
A total of 99 services participated. There was a reduction in nursing, medical, administrative, and allied health professional staff during the pandemic; 86% and 92% of A&I services continued to accept nonurgent and urgent referrals, respectively, during the pandemic. There were changes in immunoglobulin dose and infusion regimen in 67% and 14% of adult and pediatric services, respectively; 30% discontinued immunoglobulin replacement in some patients. There was a significant (all variables, P ≤ .0001) reduction in the following face-to-face consultations (increase in telephone consultations), initiation of venom immunotherapy, sublingual and subcutaneous injection immunotherapy, anesthetic allergy testing, and hospital procedures (food challenges, immunoglobulin and omalizumab administration); and a significant increase (P ≤ .0001) in home therapy for immunoglobulin and omalizumab. Adverse clinical outcomes were reported, but none were serious.CONCLUSIONS:
The pandemic had a significant impact on A&I services, leading to multiple unplanned pragmatic amendments in service delivery. There is an urgent need for prospective audits and strategic planning in the medium and long-term to achieve equitable, safe, and standardized health care.Palavras-chave
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Pediatria
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Atenção à Saúde
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Alergia e Imunologia
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Pandemias
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SARS-CoV-2
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COVID-19
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article