Impact of the pandemic, by SARS-COV-2, on access to primary health care

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed dynamics in the health area. Seeking to stop it, fight a state of public calamity and protect and reduce the number of patients admitted to intensive care units, certain exceptional situations were created. Freedoms of movement were restricted, and the health system was reorganized, implying, among others, the postponement of non-urgent consultations. Considering the above, a study was carried out with the aim of verifying the impact of the pandemic on the number of consultations carried out and on compliance with the oncological screening program of Portuguese primary healthcare. A comparative analysis of the results obtained was carried out, for each of the indicators, in 2019 and in 2020. The data obtained allowed us to conclude that in 2019, when compared to 2020, there were more face-to face nursing consultations (1 559 915 versus 1 375 528) and fewer non-face-to-face nursing consultations (114 213 versus 169 960). It was also found that in 2019, compared to 2020, there were fewer face-to-face medical consultations (1 515 520 versus 897 217) and more non-face-to-face medical consultations (1 231 991 versus 3 209 095). Regarding the cancer screening indicator, in 2019, compared to 2020, there were more women with a mammography record in the last 2 years (1 489 073 versus 1 218 445), more women with updated Pap smear (2215 378 versus 1 968 735) and more enrolled users with colorectal cancer screening performed (3,218,745 versus 3,007,335) In short, despite the objective of protecting the population and guaranteeing urgent health care, the reformulation of health systems entailed constraints in the monitoring of users by primary health care. This will, for sure, negatively impact the health level of the populations, and their recovery is urgently needed.