How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected people with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Musculoskeletal pain?

Conference:

SAPC ASM 2022 - UCLan

Talk Code:

2D.7

Presenter:

Karen Wood

Co-authors:

Karen Wood, Susan Browne, Barbara Nicholl, Frances Mair, Yvonne Cunningham, Bhautesh Jani, Stefan Siebert and Sara Macdonald

Author institutions:

Institute of Health and Wellbeing - University of Glasgow

Problem

The Covid-19 pandemic and implementation of measures to limit the spread of the virus significantly affected individuals and their healthcare. COVID-19 prompted the immediate transformation of healthcare systems. Many routine services were disbanded and moved to remote consultations. Public health messaging during lockdown encouraged the public to stay at home to protect the NHS. A wider study investigating the healthcare experience of people living with multimorbidity (presence of ≥2 long term conditions) including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain, was suspended because of the pandemic. When restarted, the study was expanded to investigate the experiences of people affected by RA or MSK pain during the pandemic.

Approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 47 people living with RA or persistent MSK pain, with and without multimorbidity. Participants were recruited from outpatient rheumatology clinics, pain clinics and primary care. Data were analysed thematically, and findings mapped to the ‘candidacy’ theoretical framework.

Findings

Participants were mostly female (31 female, 16 male) and aged between 24 and 92 years. Our analysis identified themes related to: (1) Healthcare system impacts (remote consultations, delays and cancellations, difficulties accessing care, Covid information) and (2) Impacts on individuals (social and emotional wellbeing, pain and mobility, mental health, care seeking behaviour, employment/finance, understandings of Covid). Themes were mapped to the processes of candidacy. It was clear that the move towards remote consultations may have unintended consequences and should not be ‘one-size fits all’.

Consequences

Our findings highlight experiences of people with RA/persistent MSK pain and multimorbidity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The health seeking behaviour of some patients has changed, and it is unclear if this will continue in the longer term. These findings support the need for discussion around the longer-term impact of the pandemic on individuals and changes within the healthcare system.

Submitted by:

Karen Wood

Funding acknowledgement:

This study was funded by Versus Arthritis. Grant number: 21970