| Title: |
The impact of COVID-19 on people with epilepsy: Global results from the coronavirus and epilepsy study |
| Authors: |
Vasey, MJ; Tai, XY; Thorpe, J; Jones, GD; Ashby, S; Hallab, A; Ding, D; Andraus, M; Dugan, P; Perucca, P; Costello, DJ; French, JA; O'Brien, TJ; Depondt, C; Andrade, DM; Sengupta, R; Datta, A; Delanty, N; Jette, N; Newton, CR; Brodie, MJ; Devinsky, O; Cross, JH; Sander, JW; Hanna, J; Besag, FMC; Sen, A |
| Publisher Information: |
WILEY |
| Publication Year: |
2024 |
| Collection: |
The University of Melbourne: Digital Repository |
| Description: |
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the experience of people with epilepsy and aligned healthcare workers (HCWs) during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and compare experiences in high-income countries (HICs) with non-HICs. METHODS: Separate surveys for people with epilepsy and HCWs were distributed online in April 2020. Responses were collected to September 2021. Data were collected for COVID-19 infections, the effect of COVID-related restrictions, access to specialist help for epilepsy (people with epilepsy), and the impact of the pandemic on work productivity (HCWs). The frequency of responses for non-HICs and HICs were compared using non-parametric Chi-square tests. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred and five individuals with epilepsy from 53 countries and 392 HCWs from 26 countries provided data. The same proportion of people with epilepsy in non-HICs and HICs reported COVID-19 infection (7%). Those in HICs were more likely to report that COVID-19 measures had affected their health (32% vs. 23%; p < 0.001). There was no difference between non-HICs and HICs in the proportion who reported difficulty in obtaining help for epilepsy. HCWs in non-HICs were more likely to report COVID-19 infection than those in HICs (18% vs 6%; p = 0.001) and that their clinical work had been affected by concerns about contracting COVID-19, lack of personal protective equipment, and the impact of the pandemic on mental health (all p < 0.001). Compared to pre-pandemic practices, there was a significant shift to remote consultations in both non-HICs and HICs (p < 0.001). SIGNIFICANCE: While the frequency of COVID-19 infection was relatively low in these data from early in the pandemic, our findings suggest broader health consequences and an increased psychosocial burden, particularly among HCWs in non-HICs. Planning for future pandemics should prioritize mental healthcare alongside ensuring access to essential epilepsy services and expanding and enhancing access to remote consultations. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: We asked ... |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
2470-9239 |
| Relation: |
NHMRC/2017651; https://hdl.handle.net/11343/358548 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/11343/358548 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 ; CC BY-NC-ND |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.C414FCAE |
| Database: |
BASE |