Perception of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Time of Telemedicine: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.

Fabiana Zingone,Silvia Camera,Brigida Barberio,Renata D'Incà,Edoardo Vincenzo Savarino,Monica Siniscalchi,Carolina Ciacci,Linda Cingolani,Francesca Romana De Filippo

doi:10.2196/19574

Abstract

BackgroundAfter the COVID-19 outbreak, the Italian Government stopped most regular health care activity. As a result, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) had limited access to outpatient clinics and hospitals.ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze the perception of the COVID-19 emergency among patients with IBD during the early weeks of the lockdown.MethodsWe invited adult patients with IBD from the University of Salerno (Campania, South Italy) and the University of Padua (Veneto, North Italy) by email to answer an ad hoc anonymous survey about COVID-19. We also collected data on demographic and disease characteristics.ResultsIn total, 167 patients with IBD from Padua and 83 patients from Salerno answered the survey (age: mean 39.7 years, SD 13.9 years; female: n=116, 46.4%). We found that patients with IBD were particularly worried about the COVID-19 pandemic (enough: 77/250, 30.8%; much/very much: 140/250, 56.0%), as they felt more vulnerable to COVID-19 due to their condition (enough: 70/250, 28.0%; much/very much: 109/250, 43.6%). Patients with IBD from the red zone of Veneto were more worried than patients from Campania (P=.001), and men felt more susceptible to the virus than women (P=.05). Additionally, remote medicine was appreciated more by younger patients than older patients (P=.04).ConclusionsThe results of our survey demonstrate that the lockdown had a significant impact on the psychological aspects of patients with IBD and suggest the need for increasing communication with patients with IBD (eg, through telemedicine) to ensure patients receive adequate health care, correct information, and proper psychological support.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency [1]
The aim of this study is to report the perception of the COVID-19 emergency among a cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who live in a red zone during the early weeks of lockdown and their ability to access remote consultations in order to improve their health care during possible future emergencies similar to the COVID-19 pandemic
The survey included questions about whether patients felt more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the general population, whether they preferred to avoid going to the hospital, and their thoughts about remote consultation

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency [1]. Studies from China, the country where the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak initially occurred, have indicated that the potential risk factors for poor prognoses in people who contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus include male gender, older age, high Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores, and high D-dimer https://www.jmir.org/2020/11/e19574 XSLFO RenderXJ Med Internet Res 2020 | vol 22 | iss. 11 | e19574 | p. 1 (page number not for citation purposes) levels [2,3]. The extraordinary measures that have been implemented to contain viral spread, such as the cancellation of flights, the initial lockdown of large areas in China, and the subsequent lockdown of large areas in Korea and Italy, have captured the attention and interest of the public. These measures have generated misconceptions and fear [4]. Italians were not allowed to leave their houses This excluded those who worked in essential services, such as health care, transportation, and supermarkets. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) had limited access to outpatient clinics and hospitals

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Discussion

Conclusion