Background: Digital primary care is expanding rapidly in Sweden and access is unevenly distributed and affected by socioeconomic status (SES) and digital exclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted this problem as digital care removes risk of infection. Research is lacking on digital visits by traditional health care providers (HCP) during the COVID-19 pandemic and a risk exists that socially vulnerable groups are multiple afflicted by the current situation and that health policy goals are not achieved. Objectives: To investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on digital visits by traditional HCP, the distribution of visits and correlations to SES in Malmö municipality. Method: Ecological retrospective observational cross-sectional study with comparisons between the years 2020 and 2021. Descriptive analysis of changes between the years and distribution of visits and logistic regression for the correlation to Care Need Index (CNI) as a proxy for SES. Results: Physical visits decreased more than digital visits increased. Privately operated HCP and HCP in areas with higher income better compensated the decrease of physical visits with digital visits. There were major differences between HCP in use of digital visits and high CNI and private operation negatively affected this. Conclusion: Among traditional HCP in Malmö municipality the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased digital visits and the access was unevenly distributed. This risks increased inequality in health and not achieving set health policy goals. Further studies and efforts are needed to achieve a digital primary care with equal access and patient’s autonomy, participation, and empowerment in focus. / <p>Betyg i Ladok 220617.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:miun-45542 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Eriksson, Jon |
| Publisher | Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskaper (HOV) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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