Repercusiones del confinamiento por COVID-19 en pacientes crónicos de Andalucía

RESUMEN Objetivo: Conocer las repercusiones del confinamiento por la pandemia de COVID-19 en los autocuidados de personas con enfermedades cronicas y en su salud percibida, e identificar factores para el manejo y la gestion de su enfermedad en situaciones de emergencia Metodo: Estudio cualitativo realizado en marzo-abril de 2020, durante el confinamiento por la pandemia de COVID-19, en Andalucia (Espana), mediante grupos focales virtuales usando la herramienta telematica Zoom Se realizaron tres grupos con 34 pacientes (17 hombres y 17 mujeres) con enfermedades cronicas: artritis, diabetes, enfermedad cardiovascular, enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal, cancer de mama y fibromialgia Resultados: Las personas con enfermedades cronicas refirieron repercusiones del confinamiento en relacion con su vivencia emocional, sus recursos de afrontamiento, la informacion recibida, las dificultades para el autocuidado y el contacto/acceso a los servicios sanitarios, ademas de sugerir aprendizajes para el futuro Mas y mejor informacion, formacion de pacientes, colaboracion directa con asociaciones de pacientes por parte de los gestores y una mejora de la accesibilidad telematica a los servicios sanitarios destacan como las principales lineas de mejora para minimizar el impacto de futuros confinamientos en el autocuidado y en la salud de las personas con enfermedades cronicas Conclusiones: Durante el confinamiento, las personas con enfermedades cronicas experimentaron dificultades mas alla del riesgo de contagio: interferencias en el cuidado y en la atencion sanitaria recibida Es necesaria mayor informacion y mas formacion a los/las pacientes y mejoras en la accesibilidad a los servicios sanitarios en situaciones de crisis sanitaria ABSTRACT Objective: To understand the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on the self-care of people living with chronic diseases and on their self-perceived health, and to identify factors that may influence the management of their disease in emergency situations Method: A qualitative study conducted in 2020 (March and April) in Andalusia (Spain) during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, through virtual focus groups, using the Zoom telematics tool Three virtual focus groups were conducted, including 34 patients from Andalusia with different chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, breast cancer and fibromyalgia Results: People with chronic diseases reported effects of the lockdown in relation to their emotional experience, their coping resources, the information they received, the difficulties to manage self-care, and the contact or access to health services They also suggested some lessons learned for the future The need for more and better information, patient training, involving patient associations, and improving telematics access to health services are the main areas for improvement to minimize the impact of future quarantines on the self-care and the health of people with chronic diseases Conclusions: Besides the risk of contracting COVID-19, the difficulties encountered by people with chronic diseases during the lockdown include interferences in the self-care and the health care received Health crisis situations demand more information, training for patients and improvements in the health services accessibility for patients with chronic conditions