The Covid-19 Pandemic and Noncommunicable Disease Service Delivery: An Overview of Global Experiences



Bakhtiari A¹ ; Takian A^{1, 2, 3} ; Behzadifar M⁴ ; Hosseinpour F^{5, 6} ; Mostafavi H¹
Source: Scientific Journal of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences Published:2021

Abstract

Background and Aim: Since the discovery of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus on December 30, 2019, in China, and the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020, healthcare systems and economies around the world have faced unprecedented challenges. The impact of the crisis on non-communicable diseases and the delivery of related services, which could lead to a second crisis, has been a particular source of concern. We review the world's experience in this area here. Materials and Methods: This is a systematic review of studies related to the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on eachother, and its impact on provision of related healthcare services for NCDs, carried out in 2021 by defining search keywords and database including PubMed / MEDLINE ،ISI / Web of Sciences (WOS) and Scopus. Results: 625 articles were found in the first search, that 98 duplicate onees were removed. Following a review of the article titles, 216 studies were removed as well. The abstracts of the articles were then reviewed, and 139 items were removed too. Finally, the study included 81 articles that met the previously mentioned criteria. The studies' findings were divided into seven groups: increased disease severity, decreased referrals to medical centers, decreased care delivery, increased anxiety and depression, decreased diagnosis of diseases, reduced elective surgeries, and strategies used to provide services to patients. Conclusion: A review of country policies and experiences and the loss of thousands of human resources in the field of health during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis showed that country governance systems should prioritize capacity building and updating action plans to deal with similar crises. In the meantime, a resilient national program for the prevention and effective fight against NCDs, as the most important cause of death of citizens that is also preventable, and its uninterrupted implementation during crises of the health system is of fundamental importance. © 2018 the Author (s). Published by Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences.