March 25, 2022
COVID-19 delayed primary care, dental visits, and procedures for about 30 percent of Americans over 50, and some of those patients have not rescheduled care, according to a recent National Poll on Healthy Aging.
The poll evaluates the ways the pandemic has delayed care and illustrates the importance of staying up to date on scheduled procedures and screenings, primary care, and dental visits.
“Whether they chose to postpone or their provider did, these patients missed opportunities for preventive care and for early detection and effective management of chronic conditions, not to mention operations and procedures to address a pressing health need,” said Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MPH, MS, associate director of the poll and a health care researcher and associate professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine.
Among the highlights in the national poll of older adults:
At the outset of the pandemic, HAP highlighted the ways Pennsylvania hospitals had transformed operations to ensure safe care and emphasized the importance of staying up to date on their routine testing, exams, and other preventive health measures. HAP reminds patients who need to reschedule care due to the pandemic to contact their health care provider to get started.
Information about the importance of rescheduling delayed care and a summary of the poll’s findings are available online.
Tags: Access to Care | Public Health | COVID-19
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