Characteristics of the included staff (N = 198).

There is limited research soliciting the patient and staff perspectives on the overall effects of COVID-19 on the utilization and provision of primary care in Lebanon. The present study was part of a larger study on the overall effect of COVID-19 on both utilization and provision of essential health care services within the Lebanese primary health care network (PHCN). Here, we present the patient and staff perspectives on continuity of service provision, adherence to infection prevention and control measures, and the role of the PHCN in epidemic preparedness and response. We conducted a cross-sectional survey between June and July 2021 among patients who had received a health care service in 2019 or 2020 from registered primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in the network and among the respective PHC staff working during the same period. A total of 763 patients and 198 staff completed the surveys. Services were reported as interrupted by 15% of the total patients who used services either in 2020 only or in both 2019 and 2020. Access to chronic (67%) and acute medications (40%) were reported as the main interrupted services. Immunization also emerged as a foregone service in 2020. Among the staff, one third (33%) reported interruptions in the provision of services. Financial barriers rather than fear of COVID-19 were reported as main reasons for interruption. Both groups considered that the facilities implemented adequate infection prevention and control measures. They perceived that the PHCN maintained some essential healthcare services and that it should have played a bigger role in the response to the pandemic. There was a continuity in utilization and provision of services in the PHCN that was higher than expected, with non-communicable diseases and immunizations suffering more than other services.

目前针对黎巴嫩地区新冠疫情对初级医疗服务使用与供给的整体影响，征集患者与医护人员视角的相关研究较为匮乏。本研究为一项更大规模课题的子项目，该课题旨在探究新冠疫情对黎巴嫩初级卫生保健网络（Primary Health Care Network, PHCN）内必需医疗卫生服务的使用与供给的整体影响。在此框架下，本研究呈现了患者与医护人员关于服务供给连续性、感染防控措施依从性，以及PHCN在疫情备灾与应急响应中所发挥作用的视角。本研究于2021年6月至7月间开展横断面调查，调查对象为该网络内注册初级医疗中心（Primary Healthcare Centers, PHCs）在2019年或2020年接受过医疗服务的患者，以及同期在岗的对应初级医疗中心医护人员。最终共有763名患者与198名医护人员完成了调查问卷。在仅2020年接受过医疗服务，或2019、2020两年均接受过服务的患者中，有15%的受访者报告医疗服务出现中断。慢性疾病用药（67%）与急症用药（40%）的获取被报告为最主要的中断服务类型。2020年，免疫接种服务也成为了被放弃的服务项目之一。医护人员群体中，有三分之一（33%）报告存在服务供给中断的情况。受访者报告服务中断的主要原因为经济障碍，而非对新冠疫情的恐惧。两类受访者均认为，相关医疗机构落实了充足的感染防控措施。他们均认为，PHCN仍维持了部分必需医疗卫生服务的运转，且本应在疫情应对中发挥更大的作用。黎巴嫩初级卫生保健网络的医疗服务使用与供给连续性超出预期，但非传染性疾病诊疗与免疫接种服务受到的冲击较其他服务更为严重。