Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Home Medical Care Utilization in Japan: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare utilization worldwide, but changes in home medical care utilization have not been fully revealed.ObjectiveThis study aims to clarify the changes in the use of home medical care services in Japan due to the pandemic.DesignInterrupted time series analysis of national medical claims data.ParticipantsIndividuals with home medical care use occurring in Japan between April 2019 and March 2022.InterventionsThe declaration of a state of emergency (April 2020) by the Japanese government.Main MeasuresThe outcomes were the monthly uses of regular home visits, emergency house calls, terminal care, and in-home deaths. Terminal care was stratified by care setting (home or nursing home) and the type of home medical care facilities (enhanced home care support clinics and hospitals (HCSCs), conventional HCSCs, and general clinics and hospitals).Key ResultsRegular home visits showed no significant change, but emergency house calls exhibited an upward trend (1258 uses/month, 95% CI 43 to 2473). Both terminal care and in-home deaths experienced an immediate increase in level (1116 uses/month, 95% CI 549 to 1683; 1459 uses/month, 95% CI 612 to 2307), followed by a gradual increase in trend (141 uses/month, 95% CI 73 to 209; 215 uses/month, 95% CI 114 to 317). The immediate increase of terminal care occurred only for home patients. Enhanced HCSCs showed the most prominent increase in both level and trend, followed by conventional HCSCs, and general clinics and hospitals.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of emergency house calls and terminal care among home medical care in Japan, particularly for home patients and enhanced HCSCs. These findings suggest that the pandemic revitalized the importance of home medical care as a patient-centered care delivery model and highlight the need for strategic healthcare planning and home medical care resource allocation to anticipate future pandemics.