Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted primary health care systems worldwide, prompting rapid changes in how care was delivered. In Alberta, this included a significant shift from in-person to virtual care. This study examines trends in primary care utilization among Albertans during COVID-19 a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251338376 |
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| author | Mina M. Fahim Richard P. Golonka Robin L. Walker Alka B. Patel Mary V. Modayil Lisa L. Cook John Hagens Rob Skrypnek Judy Seidel |
| author_facet | Mina M. Fahim Richard P. Golonka Robin L. Walker Alka B. Patel Mary V. Modayil Lisa L. Cook John Hagens Rob Skrypnek Judy Seidel |
| author_sort | Mina M. Fahim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted primary health care systems worldwide, prompting rapid changes in how care was delivered. In Alberta, this included a significant shift from in-person to virtual care. This study examines trends in primary care utilization among Albertans during COVID-19 and the shift toward virtual care. Methods: Repeated cross-sectional analyses were conducted from 2018/19 to 2022/23 using Alberta Health Practitioner Claims data. Utilization was measured as the proportion of Albertans with at least one visit and the annual visit rate per person. Annual percent change (APC) was calculated relative to the pre-pandemic year (2019/20) and stratified by demographics. Findings: The proportion of Albertans with a primary care visit decreased by −9.55% in 2020/21 but recovered to −4.62% by 2022/23. Annual visit rates remained stable post-pandemic. The largest declines in 2020/21 were among children aged 5 to 11 (−38.42%), ≤4 (−33.42%), newborns (−30.36% to −25.49%), and those without health conditions (−20.9%). Virtual care accounted for 23.77% of visits in 2020/21, dropping to 14.43% by 2022/23. Conclusions: While fewer Albertans accessed primary care, visit rates remained stable due to virtual care. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on primary healthcare delivery. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-006c0fc3c66e435a8d5936e81f5d0339 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2150-1327 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-006c0fc3c66e435a8d5936e81f5d03392025-08-20T03:21:31ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Primary Care & Community Health2150-13272025-06-011610.1177/21501319251338376Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, CanadaMina M. Fahim0Richard P. Golonka1Robin L. Walker2Alka B. Patel3Mary V. Modayil4Lisa L. Cook5John Hagens6Rob Skrypnek7Judy Seidel8Primary Care Alberta, AB, CanadaPrimary Care Alberta, AB, CanadaUniversity of Calgary, AB, CanadaUniversity of Calgary, AB, CanadaPrimary Care Alberta, AB, CanadaUniversity of Lethbridge, AB, CanadaAlberta Health Services, AB, CanadaPrimary Care Alberta, AB, CanadaUniversity of Calgary, AB, CanadaBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted primary health care systems worldwide, prompting rapid changes in how care was delivered. In Alberta, this included a significant shift from in-person to virtual care. This study examines trends in primary care utilization among Albertans during COVID-19 and the shift toward virtual care. Methods: Repeated cross-sectional analyses were conducted from 2018/19 to 2022/23 using Alberta Health Practitioner Claims data. Utilization was measured as the proportion of Albertans with at least one visit and the annual visit rate per person. Annual percent change (APC) was calculated relative to the pre-pandemic year (2019/20) and stratified by demographics. Findings: The proportion of Albertans with a primary care visit decreased by −9.55% in 2020/21 but recovered to −4.62% by 2022/23. Annual visit rates remained stable post-pandemic. The largest declines in 2020/21 were among children aged 5 to 11 (−38.42%), ≤4 (−33.42%), newborns (−30.36% to −25.49%), and those without health conditions (−20.9%). Virtual care accounted for 23.77% of visits in 2020/21, dropping to 14.43% by 2022/23. Conclusions: While fewer Albertans accessed primary care, visit rates remained stable due to virtual care. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on primary healthcare delivery.https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251338376 |
| spellingShingle | Mina M. Fahim Richard P. Golonka Robin L. Walker Alka B. Patel Mary V. Modayil Lisa L. Cook John Hagens Rob Skrypnek Judy Seidel Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| title | Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada |
| title_full | Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada |
| title_short | Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Utilization: An Analysis of Primary Care Claims Data in Alberta, Canada |
| title_sort | impacts of the covid 19 pandemic on primary care utilization an analysis of primary care claims data in alberta canada |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251338376 |
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