P124 Covid-19 pandemic associated with three-fold increase in demand for diabetes specialist advice

Published Date: 23rd March 2022

Publication Authors: Archer N, Westall S, Cardwell J, Furlong NJ, Narayanan RP, Bujawansa S, Balafshan T, Hardy KJ, McNulty S

Aims
The covid-19 pandemic was associated with legally restricted public movement (lockdowns) and reduced access to face-to-face consultation for diabetes in primary and specialist care. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on requests for specialist telephone support.

Methods
Retrospective analysis of calls for telephone support before and during the covid-19 pandemic via three separate extensions tailored to specific needs: (1) diabetes emergency advice line (direct diabetes specialist emergency advice 08.00-20.00, Monday to Friday and 08.00-16.00 Saturday and Sunday); (2) diabetes general advice line (a 24/7 telephone answer machine, typically used by patients and carers, answered repeatedly Monday to Friday 08.00-18.00); and (3) a diabetes community line, typically used by healthcare professionals in the community. We arbitrarily defined ‘pre-covid’ as calls up to 31/3/20 and ‘during covid’ as calls thereafter to 1/5/21.

Results
Mean ( ± SD) calls per calendar month (pcm) increased highly significantly: 81 ( ± 80) pcm pre-covid to 248 ( ± 72) pcm during covid, p < 0.001. Emergency advice line calls did not increase: 15 ( ± 5) pcm pre-covid to 18 ( ± 11) during covid, p = 0.9, general advice line calls increased non-significantly: 161 ( ± 19) to 194 ( ± 68), p = 0.1, but community calls increased highly significantly: 16 ( ± 6) to 36 ( ± 12), p < 0.001. Although calls rose during lockdowns, the monthly picture was more of a sustained increase after the first lockdown.

Summary
The covid-19 pandemic has been associated with a sustained increase in requests for non-emergency diabetes specialist team advice, particularly from primary care professionals in the community.

 

Archer, N; Westall, SJ; Cardwell, J; McNulty, S; Furlong, N; Narayanan, RP; Bujawansa, S; Balafshan, T; Hardy, KJ. (2022). P124 Covid-19 pandemic associated with three-fold increase in demand for diabetes specialist advice. Diabetic Medicine. 39 (Suppl 1), 78

 

 

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