Doctors report patients' health declining due to delayed or inaccessible care during COVID-19 pande…

Patients’ overall health continues to suffer due to the pandemic, with the majority of primary care physicians reporting that their patients’ mental health has declined during the past eight months.

Over a third (37%) of primary care physicians say their patients with chronic conditions are in “noticeably worse health resulting from the pandemic.” This is due, in part, to visits that are not happening: 56% of surveyed clinicians have seen an increase in negative health burdens due to delayed or inaccessible care, according to a survey of clinicians conducted in mid-October, seven months into the pandemic.

The results of the survey were released by the Larry A. Green Center, a research organization, in collaboration with the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) and 3rd Conversation.