Patient-Perceived Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medication Adherence and Access to Care for Long-Term Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with lifestyle changes, reduced access to care and potential impacts on medication self-management. Our main objectives are to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on patient adherence and access to care and long-term medications and determine its association with sociodemographic and clinical factors. This study is part of the Specchio-COVID-19 longitudinal cohort study in Geneva, Switzerland, conducted through an online questionnaire. Among the 982 participants (median age: 56; 61% female), 827 took long-term medications. There were 76 reported changes in medication dosages, of which 24 (31%) were without a physician’s recommendation, and 51 delays in initiation or premature medication interruptions, of which 24 (47%) were without a physician’s recommendation. Only 1% (9/827) of participants faced medication access issues. Participants taking a respiratory medication had a four-times greater odds of reporting more regular medication (OR = 4.27; CI 95%: 2.11–8.63) intake, whereas each year increase in age was significantly associated with 6% fewer relative risks of discontinuation (OR = 0.94; CI 95%: 0.91–0.97) and 3% fewer relative risks of changes in medication dosage (OR = 0.97; CI 95%: 0.95–1.00). Despite the limited impact of the pandemic on adherence and access to medications, our results emphasize the need for understanding patient challenges when self-managing their long-term medication, notably during public health crises.