The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Households' Utilization of Rehabilitation Services: National Evidence from Iran Health System.
J Lifestyle Med
; 13(2): 101-109, 2023 Aug 31.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37970328
ABSTRACT
Background:
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the pattern of utilization of healthcare services. This study aimed to investigate the utilization of rehabilitation services before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the health system of Iran.Methods:
This descriptive-analytical study used data from the Household Income and Expenditure Surveys of the Iran Statistics Center in 2018-2019 (before COVID-19) and 2020 (after COVID-19). The patterns of utilization and expenditures of rehabilitation services before and after this pandemic were investigated in different household sub-groups. The multilevel logistic regression model was used to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the utilization of health services by households.Results:
Although 258 (0.66%) households used rehabilitation services before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 175 (0.47%) households utilized them after the pandemic. Additionally, the average total rehabilitation costs per utilized household were 3,438,185 Iranian Rials (IRR) in 2018-2019 and 2,996,511 IRR in 2020-2021. Sex, age, education, size of household, place of residence, health insurance coverage, and income significantly affected the utilization of rehabilitation services by households during the study period (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the average use of rehabilitation services decreased by 22% (odds ratio = 0.78, p < 0.01) after the pandemic.Conclusion:
In Iranian households, the utilization and average expenditure of rehabilitation services significantly decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings strongly recommend health system policymakers to develop comprehensive plans to address future shocks arising from pandemics and other emergencies.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Lifestyle Med
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Irán