A National Laboratory Perspective: The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Management of Patients With Non-Communicable Disease in South Africa: Impact of COVID-19 on patients with noncommunicable diseases
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Published:2024
Issue:
Volume:18
Page:
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ISSN:1935-7893
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Container-title:Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Disaster med. public health prep.
Author:
Kruger Elsie C.,Van der Westhuizen Diederick J.,Erasmus Timothy R.,Banderker Razia B.,Jacob Doreen,Moodley Nareshni,Ngxamngxa Unathi,Kengne Andre P.,Zemlin Annalise E.
Abstract
Abstract
Objective:
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on test requests for the diagnosis and routine care of patients with various non-communicable diseases (NCD) across South Africa (SA).
Methods:
A retrospective audit of laboratory test requests received from hospital outpatient departments and primary healthcare facilities across SA was performed. The following analytes were studied: glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipids profiles, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroxine (fT4), as well as triiodothyronine (fT3), serum protein electrophoresis (SPE), serum free light chains (SFLC), and prostate specific antigen (PSA); these tests were used as a proxy of NCD detection and follow-up. Requests received during the 3 waves of the pandemic were compared to requests received within the same period during 2017 - 2019.
Results:
During the first wave, requests for all analytes were reduced, with the biggest reduction observed for SPE (− 37%); TSH (− 29%); fT4 (− 28%); and HbA1c (− 25%). Requests received from urban facilities showed a larger decrease compared to those from rural facilities. During the third wave there was an increase in requests for all analytes; the biggest increase observed was for fT3 (21%) and HbA1c (18%).
Conclusions:
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the South African population receiving care in the public healthcare sector.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
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