Consultant Rheumatologist, Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust, Southport, PR8 6PN, UK.
Consultant Rheumatologist, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster, LA1 4RP, UK.
Clin Rheumatol. 2021 Jun;40(6):2499-2504. doi: 10.1007/s10067-021-05601-1. Epub 2021 Jan 25.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare services and rheumatology staff were redeployed to the frontline. The purpose of this survey was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of rheumatology services as viewed by rheumatologists in the UK. Survey monkey questionnaire weblink was sent to 804 clinicians including consultant rheumatologists, speciality trainees, nurse specialists, and allied health professionals in 4 regions of the UK to evaluate personal effects of COVID-19 and redeployment, impact on current out-patient clinic activity, immunosuppressive drug use, and future rheumatology care. Response rate was 21%. One-fifth of the responders reported that their rheumatology departments were functioning less than 50% capacity during the pandemic. Two-third of responders felt anxious about the ill-effects of COVID-19 on their health and well-being, and one-third of them were redeployed. During the peak of the pandemic, 75% of clinicians stopped intravenous biologics. Although access to video consultation was available for up to three-fourths of the clinicians, the majority (90%) used this modality in less than 1 in 4 consultations. This survey highlights rheumatologists' perception in the delivery of future care and anxiety they faced. As demonstrated by this survey, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance did not influence clinician decision making in some aspects of patient care. Underutilization of tele-rheumatology in this survey should be considered whilst planning the restoration of rheumatology services in the post-COVID era. Key points • COVID-19 has generated significant concerns among rheumatology community about their mental well-being. • In over 50% of cases, rheumatologists stopped IV biologic drugs as per patients' wishes during the first wave of the pandemic. • Tele-rheumatology has been used more widely during the pandemic, but the extent of its use in the post-COVID era is less clear. Evolving evidence will determine its future wider use.
新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情扰乱了医疗服务，风湿病医生被重新部署到前线。这项调查的目的是评估新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情对英国风湿病医生提供风湿病服务的影响。我们向英国 4 个地区的 804 名临床医生（包括顾问风湿病医生、专科受训者、护士专家和联合保健专业人员）发送了调查猴子问卷网络链接，以评估新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情对个人的影响和重新部署、对当前门诊活动的影响、免疫抑制药物的使用以及未来的风湿病护理。回应率为 21%。五分之一的应答者报告说，在疫情期间，他们的风湿病科的运作能力不足 50%。三分之二的应答者对新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情对他们的健康和福祉的不良影响感到焦虑，其中三分之一的人被重新部署。在疫情高峰期，75%的临床医生停止了静脉注射生物制剂。虽然多达四分之三的临床医生可以获得视频咨询，但大多数（90%）在不到四分之一的咨询中使用这种方式。这项调查强调了风湿病医生对未来护理的看法以及他们所面临的焦虑。正如这项调查所表明的，国家卫生与保健卓越研究所（NICE）的指导在某些方面并没有影响临床医生的决策。在规划后 COVID 时代风湿病服务的恢复时，应考虑在本调查中过度使用远程风湿病学。要点： • 新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情引发了风湿病界对自身心理健康的严重关注。 • 在疫情的第一波期间，超过 50%的情况下，风湿病医生根据患者的意愿停止了 IV 生物制剂。 • 在疫情期间，远程风湿病学得到了更广泛的应用，但在疫情后时期的应用程度尚不清楚。不断发展的证据将决定其未来更广泛的应用。
