AI Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced in-person ambulatory care, leading to a substantial decline in HbA1c testing volume during early 2020 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- Testing volumes dropped by up to 70%, particularly in March to May, with decreases of 23%, 61%, and 40% in those specific months.
- As testing decreased, there was a notable increase in abnormal HbA1c levels, indicating a 0.31% rise in abnormal results for every 1% drop in testing volume, highlighting potential health impacts of reduced access to care.
Article Abstract
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a halt to in-person ambulatory care. We evaluated how the reduction in access to care affected HbA1c testing and patient HbA1c levels.
Methods: HbA1c data from 11 institutions were extracted to compare testing volume and the percentage of abnormal results between a pre-pandemic period (January-June 2019, period 1) and a portion of the COVID-19 pandemic period (Jan-June 2020, period 2). HbA1c results greater than 6.4% were categorized as abnormal.
Results: HbA1C testing volumes decreased in March, April and May by 23, 61 and 40% relative to the corresponding months in 2019. The percentage of abnormal results increased in April, May and June (25, 23, 9%). On average, we found that the frequency of abnormal results increased by 0.31% for every 1% decrease in testing volume (p < 0.0005).
Conclusion: HbA1c testing volume for outpatients decreased by up to 70% during the early months of the pandemic. The decrease in testing was associated with an increase in abnormal HbA1c results.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8080532 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2021.04.018 | DOI Listing |
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