Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Efforts to control the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic include drastic measures such as isolation, social distancing, and lockdown. These restrictions are accompanied by serious adverse consequences such as forgoing of healthcare. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and corr...

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Main Authors: Perla Werner, Aviad Tur-Sinai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260399
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author Perla Werner
Aviad Tur-Sinai
author_facet Perla Werner
Aviad Tur-Sinai
author_sort Perla Werner
collection DOAJ
description Efforts to control the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic include drastic measures such as isolation, social distancing, and lockdown. These restrictions are accompanied by serious adverse consequences such as forgoing of healthcare. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of forgone care for a variety of healthcare services during a two-month COVID-19 lockdown, using Andersen's Behavioral Model of Healthcare Utilization. A cross-sectional study using computerized phone interviews was conducted with 302 Israeli Jewish participants aged 40 and above. Almost half of the participants (49%) reported a delay in seeking help for at least one needed healthcare service during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Among the predisposing factors, we found that participants aged 60+, being more religious, and reporting higher levels of COVID-19 fear were more likely to report forgone care than younger, less religious and less concerned participants. Among need factors, a statistically significant association was found with a reported diagnosis of diabetes, with participants with the disease having a considerably higher likelihood of forgone care. The findings stress the importance of developing interventions aimed at mitigating the phenomenon of forgoing care while creating nonconventional ways of consuming healthcare services. In the short term, healthcare services need to adapt to the social distancing and isolation measures required to stanch the epidemic. In the long term, policymakers should consider alternative ways of delivering healthcare services to the public regularly and during crisis without losing sight of their budgetary consequences. They must recognize the possibility of having to align medical staff to the changing demand for healthcare services under conditions of health uncertainty.
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spelling doaj.art-014ac3277d954f62a71d0cc6240111d42023-01-09T05:31:14ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-011611e026039910.1371/journal.pone.0260399Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.Perla WernerAviad Tur-SinaiEfforts to control the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic include drastic measures such as isolation, social distancing, and lockdown. These restrictions are accompanied by serious adverse consequences such as forgoing of healthcare. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of forgone care for a variety of healthcare services during a two-month COVID-19 lockdown, using Andersen's Behavioral Model of Healthcare Utilization. A cross-sectional study using computerized phone interviews was conducted with 302 Israeli Jewish participants aged 40 and above. Almost half of the participants (49%) reported a delay in seeking help for at least one needed healthcare service during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Among the predisposing factors, we found that participants aged 60+, being more religious, and reporting higher levels of COVID-19 fear were more likely to report forgone care than younger, less religious and less concerned participants. Among need factors, a statistically significant association was found with a reported diagnosis of diabetes, with participants with the disease having a considerably higher likelihood of forgone care. The findings stress the importance of developing interventions aimed at mitigating the phenomenon of forgoing care while creating nonconventional ways of consuming healthcare services. In the short term, healthcare services need to adapt to the social distancing and isolation measures required to stanch the epidemic. In the long term, policymakers should consider alternative ways of delivering healthcare services to the public regularly and during crisis without losing sight of their budgetary consequences. They must recognize the possibility of having to align medical staff to the changing demand for healthcare services under conditions of health uncertainty.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260399
spellingShingle Perla Werner
Aviad Tur-Sinai
Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.
PLoS ONE
title Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.
title_full Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.
title_fullStr Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.
title_short Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak.
title_sort prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult israeli jews a survey conducted during the covid 19 outbreak
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260399
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