@article{Kalwar_Kamani_2022, title={Problems faced by patients and health service utilization experiences of gastrointestinal patients during lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic}, volume={38}, url={https://pjms.org.pk/index.php/pjms/article/view/4799}, DOI={10.12669/pjms.38.3.4799}, abstractNote={<p><em><strong>Objectives:</strong></em> The COVID-19 pandemic undermined the health service delivery and utilization of essential health care services globally. The current study therefore aimed to explore the health-seeking behaviors and challenges faced by patients for the management of gastrointestinal diseases.</p> <p><em><strong>Methods:</strong></em> A cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient department of Gastroenterology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi from March 2020 to July 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown phase to explore patient experiences. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire. All patients of either gender were included after informed consent. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS 21.0.</p> <p><em><strong>Results:</strong></em> A total of 184 patients were included who visited the hospital to seek medical services during the COVID-19 lockdown phase. The mean age of the population was 42.7 years (±16.13). Of these, n=94 (51.1%) were males All patients had gastrointestinal issues with different comorbid conditions. One forty-seven n=147 (79.9%) presented with active complaints whereas, n=37 (20.1%) patients visited the hospital for their follow-up checkup. Out of 184 patients, n=33 (17.9%) patients reported of having fear of visiting hospital due to COVID-19 outbreak. A statistically significant difference p&lt;0.001 was noted between the history of comorbidities and patient delaying a visit to the healthcare due to the fear of COVID-19. Additionally, 61 (73.5%) patients with co-morbidity faced difficulty in finding public transport (p=0.01). Nevertheless, n=171 (93.0%) patients expressed satisfaction with the services provided by the hospital during the lockdown phase.</p> <p><em><strong>Conclusion:</strong></em> Patients with gastrointestinal conditions were largely affected by lockdown largely due to fear of contacting COVID-19 disease and inaccessibility to the public transportation. Widely available telemedicine service might overcome these shortcomings and ensure continuity of quality care.</p> <p><strong>doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.3.4799</strong></p> <p><em><strong>How to cite this:</strong></em><br>Kalwar HA, Kamani L. Problems faced by patients and health service utilization experiences of gastrointestinal patients during lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(3):517-522.&nbsp; doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.3.4799</p> <p>This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</p&gt;}, number={3}, journal={Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences}, author={Kalwar, Hamid Ali and Kamani, Lubna}, year={2022}, month={Jan.} }