Health Priorities of Multi-Morbid Ambulatory Patients in New York City During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Peggy B Leung, Andrea C Cabassa Miskimen, Dianna L Mejia, Diksha Brahmbhatt, Melissa Rusli, Judy Tung, Madeline R Sterling Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USACorrespondence: Peggy B Leung, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 505 East 70th St, HT-4, New York, NY, 10021, USA, Tel [phone], Fax [phone], Email [email protected]: During the COVID-19 pandemic, adults with chronic conditions delayed or avoided seeking preventative and general medical care, leading to adverse consequences for morbidity and mortality. In order to bring patients back into care, we, in this qualitative study, sought to understand the foremost health-related needs of our multi-morbid ambulatory patients to inform future outreach interventions. Via a telephone-based survey of our high-risk patients, defined using a validated EPIC risk model for hospitalization and ED visits, we surveyed 214 participants an open-ended question, “What is your top health concern that you would like to speak with a doctor or nurse about”. We found 4 major themes: 1) primary care matters, 2) disruptions in health care, 3) COVID-19ʹs impact on physical and mental health, and 4) amplified social vulnerabilities. Our results suggest that interventions that reduce barriers to preventative services and disruptions to healthcare delivery are needed.Keywords: health priority, primary care, multi-morbidity, ambulatory patients

Keywords

• health priority
• primary care
• multi-morbidity
• ambulatory patients