Understanding the association between self-reported healthcare disruption due to COVID-19 and avoidable hospitalisation
We will study the impacts of health care disruption (e.g., delays and confusion over service delivery) in the UK. We will examine the experiences of those individuals affected by this disruption, including whether it has affected their health. We will share the findings with policy makers, NHS care managers, and politicians to help inform:
Which services to invest in or act on first, Which types of people need additional help. Our study will help benefit patients and lessen the effects of the problem.
Having access to the linked data is necessary to understand the experiences of patients. We do not know exactly how people used healthcare services during the pandemic in the surveys. While people in the surveys are asked if they experienced some disruption, how this relates to their actual use of healthcare is unclear. The linked data will allow us to examine the types of healthcare people used, their experiences, and any health conditions diagnosed during the pandemic. Only through having access to all of this information can we begin to track how healthcare disruption impacts health. This is not currently possible through other data sources. We are not aware of another study doing this research.
For more information see: https://ukllc.ac.uk/data-use-register/llc_0009