Impact of COVID-19 on the Demand and Utilization of Physiotherapy Services Among Stroke Patients
Impact of COVID-19 on the Demand and Utilization of Physiotherapy Services Among Stroke Patients
Abstract
Background: While it has been reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world’s health care systems including rehabilitation services, little was known about its impact on the demand and utilization of physiotherapy services on stroke survivors in Zambia. This study investigated the demand for and use of physiotherapy among stroke survivors at a tertiary hospital in Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: We carried out a cross sectional study on stroke patients who were referred for Physiotherapy between January 2019 and December 2020. Of the 185 stroke patients booked for Physiotherapy, 86 commenced Physiotherapy sessions while the rest did not show up for their appointments. We collected data on age, gender, year Physiotherapy was attended and frequency of sessions for the 86 stroke patients from the out-patient attendance register using a check list. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 with descriptive frequencies and histograms used to summaries data while associations between categorical variables were done using Chi-square tests. Results: Of the 185 stroke patients who were referred for Physiotherapy between January 2019 and December, 2020, only 86 (46.49%) utilized physiotherapy services. Majority of stroke patients who utilized Physiotherapy services in 2019 attended two or more Physiotherapy sessions per week compared to those in 2020 who attended at least one session in two to four weeks (p< 0.001). Conclusion: The number of treatment sessions in 2020 dropped significantly for physiotherapy services. This implies that outcomes could have been negatively affected. It would therefore be important to explore other evidence-based strategies such as telerehabilitation and task-shifting using caregivers.All authors who submit their paper for publication will abide by following provisions of the copyright transfer: 1. The copyright of the paper rests with the authors. And they are transferring the copyright to publish the article and used the article for indexing and storing for public use with due reference to published matter in the name of concerned authors. 2. The authors reserve all proprietary rights such as patent rights and the right to use all or part of the article in future works of their own such as lectures, press releases, and reviews of textbooks. 3. In the case of republication of the whole, part, or parts thereof, in periodicals or reprint publications by a third party, written permission must be obtained from the Managing Editor of JPRM. 4. The authors declare that the material being presented by them in this paper is their original work, and does not contain or include material taken from other copyrighted sources. Wherever such material has been included, it has been clearly indented or/and identified by quotation marks and due and proper acknowledgements given by citing the source at appropriate places. 5. The paper, the final version of which they submit, is not substantially the same as any that they had already published elsewhere. 6. They declare that they have not sent the paper or any paper substantially the same as the submitted one, for publication anywhere else. 7. Furthermore, the author may only post his/her version provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication in this journal and a link is inserted wherever published. 8. All contents, Parts, written matters, publications are under copyright act taken by JPRM. 9. Published articles will be available for use by scholars and researchers. 10. IJPRM is not responsible in any type of claim on publication in our Journal. .