Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in Latvia
Medical staff has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to test and treat coronavirus patients. However, the focus on the virus has caused huge disruption to healthcare services, resulting in delayed treatment for patients with other serious conditions. Additionally, the reasons for for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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EDP Sciences
2022-01-01
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| Series: | SHS Web of Conferences |
| Online Access: | https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2022/01/shsconf_shw2021_01008.pdf |
| _version_ | 1828125526877798400 |
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| author | Reine Ieva Mikelsone Madara Ivanovs Andrejs Tomsone Signe |
| author_facet | Reine Ieva Mikelsone Madara Ivanovs Andrejs Tomsone Signe |
| author_sort | Reine Ieva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Medical staff has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to test and treat coronavirus patients. However, the focus on the virus has caused huge disruption to healthcare services, resulting in delayed treatment for patients with other serious conditions. Additionally, the reasons for forgoing or abstaining healthcare could also relate to individual decisions. We used data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), where the respondents aged 50 and older of the Wave 8, version 0, were asked to answer, among other, questions on delayed, postponed or denied healthcare services during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia. For comparative reasons also Estonian and Lithuanian data were included in the study with 2 473 627 valid weighted cases in total. Due to the large sample size, in order to evaluate statistically significant result for Pearson’s chi-square test, strength of association (f) was provided. The results show that 12.7% of the respondents forwent and 14% postponed medical treatment in Latvia. Appointment was denied to 5.5% of the respondents. Generally, older people in Latvia had better access to health care services compared to the average in the Baltic countries. We found significant age and gender differences, but they varied depending on the type of treatment and reason for not receiving it. However, further studies are necessary to analyse how limited access to the healthcare for other reasons has affected health of the ageing population. Also, more knowledge is needed about how to maintain public health and wellbeing for the growing part of the ageing society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T15:22:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02e17b33135342e8b1736b6095891b19 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2261-2424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T15:22:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | EDP Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SHS Web of Conferences |
| spelling | doaj.art-02e17b33135342e8b1736b6095891b192022-12-22T04:16:21ZengEDP SciencesSHS Web of Conferences2261-24242022-01-011310100810.1051/shsconf/202213101008shsconf_shw2021_01008Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in LatviaReine Ieva0Mikelsone Madara1Ivanovs Andrejs2Tomsone Signe3Statistics Unit, Riga Stradins UniversityStatistics Unit, Riga Stradins UniversityStatistics Unit, Riga Stradins UniversityDepartment of Rehabilitation, Riga Stradins UniversityMedical staff has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to test and treat coronavirus patients. However, the focus on the virus has caused huge disruption to healthcare services, resulting in delayed treatment for patients with other serious conditions. Additionally, the reasons for forgoing or abstaining healthcare could also relate to individual decisions. We used data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), where the respondents aged 50 and older of the Wave 8, version 0, were asked to answer, among other, questions on delayed, postponed or denied healthcare services during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia. For comparative reasons also Estonian and Lithuanian data were included in the study with 2 473 627 valid weighted cases in total. Due to the large sample size, in order to evaluate statistically significant result for Pearson’s chi-square test, strength of association (f) was provided. The results show that 12.7% of the respondents forwent and 14% postponed medical treatment in Latvia. Appointment was denied to 5.5% of the respondents. Generally, older people in Latvia had better access to health care services compared to the average in the Baltic countries. We found significant age and gender differences, but they varied depending on the type of treatment and reason for not receiving it. However, further studies are necessary to analyse how limited access to the healthcare for other reasons has affected health of the ageing population. Also, more knowledge is needed about how to maintain public health and wellbeing for the growing part of the ageing society.https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2022/01/shsconf_shw2021_01008.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Reine Ieva Mikelsone Madara Ivanovs Andrejs Tomsone Signe Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in Latvia SHS Web of Conferences |
| title | Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in Latvia |
| title_full | Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in Latvia |
| title_fullStr | Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in Latvia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in Latvia |
| title_short | Access to healthcare during COVID-19 among ageing population in Latvia |
| title_sort | access to healthcare during covid 19 among ageing population in latvia |
| url | https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2022/01/shsconf_shw2021_01008.pdf |
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