Patient experience of residents with restricted primary care access during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To evaluate primary care access for COVID-19 consultation among residents who have a usual source of care (USC) and to examine their associations with patient experience during the pandemic in Japan.

Design: Nationwide cross-sectional study.

Setting: Japanese general adult population.

Participants: 1004 adult residents who have a USC.

Main outcome measures: Patient experience assessed by the Japanese version of Primary Care Assessment Tool Short Form (JPCAT-SF).

Results: A total of 198 (19.7%) reported restricted primary care access for COVID-19 consultation despite having a USC. After adjustment for possible confounders, restricted primary care access for COVID-19 consultation was negatively associated with the JPCAT-SF total score (adjusted mean difference = -8.61, 95% CI -11.11 to -6.10). In addition, restricted primary care access was significantly associated with a decrease in all JPCAT-SF domain scores.

Conclusions: Approximately one-fifth of adult residents who had a USC reported restricted primary care access for COVID-19 consultation during the pandemic in Japan. Our study also found that restricted primary care access for COVID-19 consultation was negatively associated with a wide range of patient experience including first contact. Material, financial and educational support to primary care facilities, the spread of telemedicine and the application of a patient registration system might be necessary to improve access to primary care during a pandemic.