SA8 Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Care Resource Utilisation and Costs in COPD in England: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Delivery of medical care for chronic diseases has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe all-cause and COPD-related healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) and costs among patients with COPD during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic in England. This was a retrospective dynamic cohort study of English COPD patients (FEV1/FVC<0.7) aged ≥35 years, for the period from Mar 2018 until Aug 2020 using primary care and linked hospital data. We assessed monthly all-cause and COPD-related HCRU and total direct healthcare costs over the study period and compared the months of the early pandemic (April–Aug 2020) to prior years. In total, 119,512 COPD patients were included (mean [SD] age: 69.6 [10.6] years, 54.1% males). Mean monthly all-cause face-to-face primary care, secondary care outpatient, and inpatient attendances were lower in April 2020 compared with April 2019, with reductions of 62.8%, 38.5%, and 57.1%, respectively. Mean monthly all-cause telephone primary care consultations increased 211.1% between April 2019 and April 2020. Mean total all-cause healthcare costs were 25.4% lower in April 2020 compared with April 2019. Mean monthly COPD-related face-to-face primary care, secondary care outpatient and hospital attendances, were lower in April 2020 compared with April 2019, with reductions of 78.9%, 25.0% and 60.0%, respectively. Mean monthly COPD-related telephone primary care consultations increased 300.0% between April 2019 and April 2020. Mean total COPD-related healthcare costs were 44.4% lower in April 2020 compared with April 2019. The levels of healthcare interactions following April 2020 did not return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the observation period. All-cause and COPD-related primary care and secondary care outpatient attendances and hospital admissions decreased among patients with COPD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine became a more frequently used channel for accessing healthcare during the early pandemic for COPD patients. Funding: GSK (214629).