1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia.
2Department of Surgery, CMHS, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Sep;103(3):1198-1200. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0464.
Globally, healthcare systems are facing the enormous challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethiopia is currently implementing different preventive measures to interrupt the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The early effect of these preventive measures on essential healthcare service delivery is unknown. In this study, we looked at the number of essential healthcare visits over 8 weeks, 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after the implementation of preventive measures. During the implementation of these measures, patient flow decreased in all elements of essential healthcare service. The decline was dramatic for family planning (98%), emergency surgery (77%), and follow-up of chronic surgical conditions (70%). An understanding of the reasons behind the decrease in patient flow is urgently needed to design ways of sustaining essential care.
全球医疗体系正面临着 COVID-19 大流行的巨大挑战。埃塞俄比亚目前正在实施各种预防措施以阻断 SARS-CoV-2 的传播。这些预防措施对基本医疗服务提供的早期影响尚不清楚。在本研究中，我们观察了预防措施实施前 4 周和实施后 8 周内基本医疗服务就诊次数。在这些措施实施期间，所有基本医疗服务要素的患者流量都有所减少。计划生育（98%）、急诊手术（77%）和慢性手术疾病的随诊（70%）降幅显著。急需了解患者流量减少的原因，以便设计维持基本护理的方法。
