Health-seeking behaviors of patients with acute respiratory infections during the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan, China

Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2021 Mar;15(2):188-194. doi: 10.1111/irv.12804. Epub 2020 Sep 10.

Abstract

We conducted two surveys to evaluate the health-seeking behaviors of individuals with acute respiratory infections (ARI) during the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. Among 351 participants reporting ARI (10.3%, 351/3,411), 36.5% sought medical assistance. Children were more likely to seek medical assistance than other age-groups (66.1% vs. 28.0%-35.1%). This population-based study demonstrates that the majority of patients with ARI symptoms did not seek medical assistance during the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. These findings may be used to refine the estimates of disease burden and clinical severity of COVID-19 and to plan for health resources allocation.

Keywords: China; acute respiratory infections; health-seeking behaviors; novel coronavirus disease 2019.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • China / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / psychology*
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / statistics & numerical data
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / epidemiology
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / psychology*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult