Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on patient delay of inpatients with squamous cell carcinoma of oral mucosa MA

doi:10.19438/j.cjoms.2021.05.002

Abstract

Abstract: PURPOSE: The aim of this research was to investigate whether the pandemic of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had an impact on patient delay of medical management, using 2019 and 2018 as controls. METHODS: Electronic medical records of inpatients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of oral mucosa in 2020, 2019 and 2018 were reviewed, and the time of the first signs or symptoms and the time of initial professional evaluation was extracted. Their interval, namely the patient delay time, was calculated. Nonparametric rank sum test was used to analyze the difference in patient delay time between 2020, 2019 and 2018 with SPSS 22.0 software package. When the delay time was more than 3 months, the patients were grouped as delayed help-seeking. RESULTS: There were 254 inpatients with SCC of oral mucosa in 2020, 447 in 2019, and 353 in 2018. The mean patient delay time was 3.93 months, 4.10 months, and 4.61 months, respectively. Nonparametric rank sum test found that there was no significant difference in the delay time for hospitalization in 2020, 2019, and 2018. The rate of delayed help-seeking in 2020 patients was 33.3%, lower than 36.5% in 2019 and 38.2% in 2018, but the difference was not significant(P=0.257). CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic of COVID-19 in 2020 probably had no effect on patient delay time for treatment of SCC of oral mucosa.

Key words: Patient delay, Oral squamous cell carcinoma, Inpatients, COVID-19

CLC Number:

R782

Xiao-kun, WANG Lin, XU Tao, GUO Chuan-bin, WANG Yang, WANG Dian-can. Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on patient delay of inpatients with squamous cell carcinoma of oral mucosa MA[J]. China Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2021, 19(5): 392-396.

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