The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ankara Çankaya Emek ASM applications

Background: Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can infect animals or humans and cause dise ases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The new coronavirus (SARS CoV 2) is a respiratory tract infection agent that emerged in the city of Wuhan in December 2019 and can cause pneumonia, pulmonary edema, ARDS, multiorgan failure and death. Although treatment studies continue, anti virals such as hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, plasma therapy and favipravir are currently the prominent treatments. The mortality rate of the disease is 3.8%. Legal ar rangements have been made in order to reduce the spread. Family health centers (FHCs) are primary health care institutions that serve children, pregnant women, elderly patients, patients with chronic diseases and people who apply for certain health documen ts. In the presence of a pandemic, family physicians must restrict virus transmission among people applying to FHCs. Therefore, triage is necessary to identify high risk patients as soon as possible. All patients admitted to FHCs can be protected in this w ay. For all these reasons, we aimed to review family health centers struggling with COVID 19. Materials and Methods: Our study was planned as a cross sectional study. A questionnaire consisting of 21 questions was applied to the patients who applied to Ank ara Çankaya Emek FHC regarding their applications during the pandemic process. SPSS 22.0 package program was used in the analysis. Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were analyzed descriptively. Th e conformity of the quantitative values of the patients with the normal distribution was tested with the Shapiro Wilk method (p<0.05). Since these variables were not suitable for Normal distribution, comparisons were made using Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests. In the comparison of qualitative data, Marginal Homogenity, Pearson Chi Square test and Fisher Exact test were used. Results of the Comparisons were %95, %99 confidence interval; p<0.05, p<0.01 were evaluated at the level of %99 confidence interval; p<0.05, p<0.01 were evaluated at the level of %99 confidence interval; p<0.05, p<0.01 were evaluated at the level of significance. Results: Of the 250 patients who participated in our study; 57.60% were female, 42.40% were male. The mean age of the participants was found to be 44.88 years. While 73.60% of the patients participating in our study stated that FHC applications increased, 26 .40% stated that they did not. When we looked at the reasons for this increase in the pandemic process in the 21 question survey directed to the participants, we found that 42.80% (n=107) were vaccination and 40.00% (n=100) were examinations. Conclusion: I n the Covid 19 pandemic, the number of applications to FHCs and the reasons for application are very high.significant changes were detected. The number of applications to FHCs increased in the results obtained in all parts of the study. The most important conclusion to be drawn from this is; It is the result of an increase in the function of FHCs. In the analysis of the study according to the reasons for application, it is seen that while the group that received the most for drug prescription before the pan demic, there was a significant increase in the number of patients who came to be vaccinated during the pandemic and the number of patients who came to be examined with any complaints. For this reason, the burden carried by the ASM during the pandemic proce ss should be lightened. The intensity towards the first step should be reduced. Keywords:Family Medicine, Covid 19, Pandemic