Outpatient hospital attendances in people with rheumatoid arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a cohort study in three nations of the UK
Authors' conclusion
For the first time, we compared healthcare use across three UK nations and found rheumatology outpatient appointments had not recovered to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, particularly in Scotland and England.
Study context
- Population
- People with a diagnosis of RA before 1 April 2019, primary and secondary care electronic health records in England, Scotland and Wales
- Participants
- 145,065 / 3,813 / 13,637
- Exposure
- Rheumatology outpatient attendances since the COVID-19 pandemic vs pre-pandemic (2019), across England, Scotland and Wales
- Englandn = 145,065
- Scotlandn = 3,813
- Walesn = 13,637
- Outcome
- Proportion of people with rheumatology hospital outpatient appointments each month
- Follow-up
- April 2019 to December 2022 (Wales and Scotland), November 2023 (England)
Methodological detailsinterrupted time-series analysis, logistic regression, electronic health record datasets
- Interrupted time-series analysis
- Logistic regression
- Electronic health record datasets
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Monthly rheumatology outpatient appointments
- Rheumatology outpatient appointments dropped sharply across all nations at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
- England and Scotland: percentage of monthly appointments has continued to decline
- Wales: gradual recovery, but not returned to pre-pandemic levels
- Appointments for other specialties recovered in all nations
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Characteristics associated with fewer appointments
- People with no rheumatology outpatient appointments were more often aged over 80, male and living in rural areas
- Ethnic minorities and those in more deprived and urban areas had fewer appointments after the start of the pandemic vs 2019
Original publication
Outpatient hospital attendances in people with rheumatoid arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a cohort study in three nations of the UK. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 24 October 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →