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Perceived Access to Health Care Services and Relevance of Telemedicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Lukas Reitzle

    (Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, 12101 Berlin, Germany)

  • Christian Schmidt

    (Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, 12101 Berlin, Germany)

  • Francesca Färber

    (Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, 12101 Berlin, Germany)

  • Lena Huebl

    (Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
    I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany)

  • Lothar Heinz Wieler

    (Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany)

  • Thomas Ziese

    (Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, 12101 Berlin, Germany)

  • Christin Heidemann

    (Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, 12101 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, non-pharmaceutical interventions were imposed to contain the spread of the virus. Based on cross-sectional waves in March, July and December 2020 of the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring (COSMO), the present study investigated the impact of the introduced measures on the perceived access to health care. Additionally, for the wave in December, treatment occasion as well as utilization and satisfaction regarding telemedicine were analysed. For 18–74-year-old participants requiring medical care, descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed. During the less strict second lockdown in December, participants reported more frequently ensured access to health care (91.2%) compared to the first lockdown in March (86.8%), but less frequently compared to July (94.2%) during a period with only mild restrictions. In December, main treatment occasions of required medical appointments were check-up visits at the general practitioner (55.2%) and dentist (36.2%), followed by acute treatments at the general practitioner (25.6%) and dentist (19.0%), treatments at the physio-, ergo- or speech therapist (13.1%), psychotherapist (11.9%), and scheduled hospital admissions or surgeries (10.0%). Of the participants, 20.0% indicated utilization of telemedical (15.4% telephone, 7.6% video) consultations. Of them, 43.7% were satisfied with the service. In conclusion, for the majority of participants, access to medical care was ensured during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, access slightly decreased during phases of lockdown. Telemedicine complemented the access to medical appointments.

Suggested Citation

  • Lukas Reitzle & Christian Schmidt & Francesca Färber & Lena Huebl & Lothar Heinz Wieler & Thomas Ziese & Christin Heidemann, 2021. "Perceived Access to Health Care Services and Relevance of Telemedicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:14:p:7661-:d:596942
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. André Hajek & Freia De Bock & Lothar H. Wieler & Philipp Sprengholz & Benedikt Kretzler & Hans-Helmut König, 2020. "Perceptions of Health Care Use in Germany during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Cylus, Jonathan & Papanicolas, Irene, 2015. "An analysis of perceived access to health care in Europe: How universal is universal coverage?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(9), pages 1133-1144.
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