Estimating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on services provided by Italian Neuromuscular Centers: an Italian Association of Myology survey of the acute phase

Abstract

Introduction: Since February 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy has forced the health care system to undergo profound rearrangements in its services and facilities, especially in the worst-hit areas in Northern Italy. In this setting, inpatient and outpatient services had to rethink and reorganize their activities to meet the needs of patients during the "lockdown". The Italian Association of Myology developed a survey to estimate the impact of these changes on patients affected by neuromuscular disorders and on specialized neuromuscular centers during the acute phase of COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We developed an electronic survey that was sent to neuromuscular centers affiliated with the Italian Association of Myology, assessing changes in pharmacological therapies provision, outpatient clinical and instrumental services, support services (physiotherapy, nursing care, psychological support) and clinical trials.

Results: 40% of surveyed neuromuscular centers reported a reduction in outpatient visit and examinations (44.5% of centers in Northern regions; 25% of centers in Central regions; 50% of centers in Southern regions). Twenty-two% of centers postponed in-hospital administration of therapies for neuromuscular diseases (23.4% in Northern regions; 13.0% in Central regions; 20% in Southern regions). Diagnostic and support services (physiotherapy, nursing care, psychological support) were suspended in 57% of centers (66/43/44% in Northern, Central and Southern centers respectively) Overall, the most affected services were rehabilitative services and on-site outpatient visits, which were suspended in 93% of centers. Strategies adopted by neuromuscular centers to overcome these changes included maintaining urgent on-site visits, addressing patients to available services and promoting remote contact and telemedicine.

Conclusions: Overall, COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant disruption of clinical and support services for patients with neuromuscular diseases. Despite the efforts to provide telemedicine consults to patients, this option could be promoted and improved further. A close collaboration between the different neuromuscular centers and service providers as well as further implementation of telehealth platforms are necessary to ensure quality care to NMD patients in the near future and in case of recurrent pandemic waves.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; myastenia gravis; myopathies; neuromuscular diseases; neuromuscular services; neuropathies.

Figure 1.

Geographical distribution of the impact of COVID-19 on the activity of NMD centers in Italy. The figure displays the percentage of outpatient visits and exams, treatments and ancillary services that have not been performed in three different part of Italy. Panel A shows that percentages of visits and exams that have been cancelled within the considered time interval in Northern, Central and Southern Italy. Panel B and C highlight the bigger impact of COVID-19 pandemic on treatment administration and ancillary services in Northern Italy than in the other parts of the country.

Figure 2.

In-hospital administered therapy versus expected. Percentage of patients who received in-hospital administered therapies in the worse-hit period compared to the scheduled administrations for Nusinersen, IVIG, pulse high dose intravenous corticosteroids, Rituximab, ERT for Pompe disease, Edaravone and PLEX.