Medical resource usage for COVID-19 evaluated using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exhibited several different waves threatening global health care. During this pandemic, medical resources were depleted. However, the kind of medical resources provided to each wave was not clarified. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2024-05, Vol.19 (5), p.e0303493-e0303493
Main Authors: Fukuyama, Keita, Mori, Yukiko, Ueshima, Hiroaki, Ito, Shiho, Tanabe, Masaki, Kuroda, Tomohiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Biology and Life Sciences
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Databases, Factual
Female
Global health
Health care
Health care industry
Health insurance
Health Resources
Health services
Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Infectious diseases
Insurance
Insurance Claim Review
Insurance, Health
International economic relations
Japan - epidemiology
Male
Medical electronics
Medicine and Health Sciences
Middle Aged
Older people
Pandemics
Patients
People and Places
Public health
SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification
Social Sciences
Viral diseases
Viral infections
World health
Young Adult
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Summary:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exhibited several different waves threatening global health care. During this pandemic, medical resources were depleted. However, the kind of medical resources provided to each wave was not clarified. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of medical care provision at COVID-19 peaks in preparation for the next pandemic. Using medical insurance claim records in Japan, we examined the presence or absence of COVID-19 infection and the use of medical resources for all patients monthly by age group. The wave around August 2021 with the Delta strain had the strongest impact on the working population in terms of hospital admission and respiratory support. For healthcare providers, this peak had the highest frequency of severely ill patients. In the subsequent wave, although the number of patients with COVID-19 remained high, they were predominantly older adults, with relatively fewer patients receiving intensive care. In future pandemics, we should refer to the wave around August 2021 as a situation of medical resource shortage resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0303493