Healthcare use of COVID-19 patients within 3 months of diagnosis and associated factors

Background and aim Healthcare utilization of the population changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is limited research on the healthcare use of COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to describe the healthcare use of COVID-19 patients within 3 months after diagnosis and to investigate the associated factors. Methods Patients older than 18-years who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Dokuz Eylul University Hospital-Turkey in November and December 2020 (n = 3597) were included in this retrospective cohort study. In total, data from 2978 patients were analyzed. Data were collected through telephone interviews. Dependent variables were patient-reported general healthcare use and COVID-19 related healthcare use within 3 months of follow-up. Age, gender, chronic disease history, number of initial symptoms, and hospitalization status were independent variables. Chi-square was used to compare categorical variables. Univariate and multivariate (backward elimination method) logistic regression models were conducted to identify predictive factors. Results In total, 32% of the cases sought healthcare within three months of diagnosis while 11.4% of the visits were due to COVID-19. The most common outpatient visits related to COVID-19 included chest diseases (30.3%), the emergency room (29.1%), and internal medicine (16.2%). Backward stepwise selection identified female gender (OR = 1.23, 1.05-1.44), having more than 3 comorbidities (OR = 2.64, 1.95-3.56), hospitalization (OR = 1.54, 1.16-2.03) for general healthcare use, and having more than 5 symptoms (OR = 1.52, 1.13-2.04), having more than 3 comorbidities (OR = 1.65, 1.09-2.43), hospitalization (OR = 1.77, 1.22-2.51) for COVID-19 related healthcare use. Conclusions Having comorbidities, the number of initial symptoms, and the need for hospitalization are the main determinants of general and COVID-19 related health care use in three months of COVID-19 infection. Key messages Indicators of severe clinical conditions are the main determinants of general and COVID-19 related healthcare use in the post COVID-19 patients. Healthcare resource planning should consider the needs of post COVID-19 patients.