During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures and disruptions in healthcare delivery significantly impacted individuals with chronic lung diseases. While early reports suggested persons living with cystic fibrosis (CF) experienced fewer pulmonary exacerbations (sudden flare-ups in lung symptoms), less was known about broader trends in healthcare utilization and whether sex-based disparities in health outcomes emerged during this period.
Researchers, including CVC faculty member Dr. Jason Weatherald, recently published a study using linked administrative health data from Alberta, Canada, to evaluate healthcare utilization and mortality among adults with CF. The study compared 18-month periods before and after the declaration of the COVID-19 global pandemic on March 12, 2020. Key measures included hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, outpatient clinic appointments, and all-cause mortality, with a focus on sex-based differences.
The study found that overall acute care encounters (both hospitalizations and general ED visits) declined significantly during the pandemic, with a non-significant trend toward more outpatient visits. Although overall mortality remained unchanged and both sexes saw similar relative changes in total healthcare use, sex-based analysis revealed a notable pattern: female patients with CF experienced a larger reduction in ED visits than males, despite having similar rates of hospital admission.
These findings suggest that while overall reliance on acute care decreased for people with CF during the pandemic, female patients may have faced disproportionate barriers to accessing acute emergency care or exhibited different care-seeking behaviors. This research highlights the importance of monitoring health service access across demographic groups to ensure equitable care delivery during system-wide disruptions, informing future healthcare strategies for vulnerable populations.
