PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mainous, Arch G.
AU  - Yin, Lu
AU  - Medley, James F.
AU  - Saguil, Aaron A.
AU  - Orlando, Frank A.
TI  - Impact of COVID-19 on Chronic Ambulatory-Care-Sensitive Condition Emergency Department Use Among Older Adults
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2023.230386R1
DP  - 2024 Aug 30
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
PG  - jabfm.2023.230386R1
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/early/2024/08/30/jabfm.2023.230386R1.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/early/2024/08/30/jabfm.2023.230386R1.full
AB  - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic social distancing requirements encouraged patients to avoid public spaces including in-office health care visits. Ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) represent conditions that can be managed with quality primary care and when access is limited, these conditions can lead to avoidable emergency department (ED) visits.Methods: Using national data on ED visits from 2019 to 2021 in the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey, we examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on ACSC ED visits among older adults (aged ≥65).Results: The proportion of ED visits among older adults that were for ACSCs increased between 2019 (17.4%) and 2021 (18.5%). The trend in both rural (26.4%–28.6%) and urban areas (15.4%–16.8%) shows a significant jump from 2019 to 2021 (P < .001).Conclusions: This rise in ACSC ED use is consistent with a delay in normal primary care during the pandemic.