COVID-19 Outbreak Consequences for Outpatients Followed in PRM

Objectives This survey aims at reporting the immediate impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on outpatients followed in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM). It focuses on the disruption of PRM healthcare services during the quarantine period in France between 2020 March 17th and May 11th and on its medical consequences. Method This observational study was conducted in the PRM department of a French University Hospital. Outpatients whose PRM medical consultation had been cancelled were contacted by phone between April 9th, 2020 and May 7th, 2020. A structured questionnaire was fulfilled for each patient. Demographical and medical data were recorded, including the disabling diseases motivating the PRM outpatients\' follow-up. The necessity to perform an immediate phone consultation or to schedule an urgent consultation within the next 3 weeks constituted the main judgment criterion. Other recorded criteria were: the reason for this urgent need of a medical consultation, the access to other medical services during the quarantine period, the interruption of home-based rehabilitation services and its perceived consequences for the patients.