Unmet needs, health policies, and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a report from six European countries

doi:10.1007/s41999-020-00415-x

Review

. 2021 Feb;12(1):193-204.

doi: 10.1007/s41999-020-00415-x. Epub 2020 Oct 15.

Unmet needs, health policies, and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a report from six European countries

Oriol Miralles¹, Dolores Sanchez-Rodriguez^#^{2

3

4}, Esther Marco^#⁵, Cédric Annweiler^{6

7

8}, Ainhoa Baztan⁹, Évora Betancor¹⁰, Alicia Cambra¹⁰, Matteo Cesari^{11

12}, Benito J Fontecha¹⁰, Jerzy Gąsowski¹³, Sophie Gillain¹⁴, Suzy Hope^{15

16}, Katie Phillips¹⁷, Karolina Piotrowicz¹³, Niccolò Piro¹¹, Guillaume Sacco^{6

7}, Edoardo Saporiti¹¹, Murielle Surquin^{17

18}, Estel Vall-Llosera¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Geriatrics and Palliative Care Department, Hospital General de L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Consorci Sanitari Integral, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Av. Josep Molins, 29 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08906, Barcelona, Spain. [email protected].
² Clinical Research Unit, CHU Brugmann, Brussels, Belgium.
³ WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Aspects of Musculo-Skeletal Health and Aging, Division of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁴ Geriatrics Department, Rehabilitation Research Group, Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
⁵ Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Departament, Parc de Salut Mar. Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
⁶ Department of Geriatric Medicine and Memory Clinic, Research Center on Autonomy and Longevity, University Hospital, Angers, France.
⁷ UPRES EA 4638, University of Angers, Angers, France.
⁸ Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
⁹ Primary Care Center La Florida, Costa Ponent Unit, Institut Català de La Salut, Catalan Health Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
¹⁰ Geriatrics and Palliative Care Department, Hospital General de L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Consorci Sanitari Integral, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Av. Josep Molins, 29 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08906, Barcelona, Spain.
¹¹ Geriatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
¹² Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
¹³ Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
¹⁴ Geriatrics Department, Liège University Hospital, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
¹⁵ Department of Healthcare for Older People, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK.
¹⁶ College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
¹⁷ Beacon Medical Centre, Sidmouth, Devon, UK.
¹⁸ Geriatrics Department, CHU Brugmann, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 33057981
PMCID: PMC7557304
DOI: 10.1007/s41999-020-00415-x

Review

Unmet needs, health policies, and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a report from six European countries

Oriol Miralles et al. Eur Geriatr Med. 2021 Feb.

. 2021 Feb;12(1):193-204.

doi: 10.1007/s41999-020-00415-x. Epub 2020 Oct 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Geriatrics and Palliative Care Department, Hospital General de L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Consorci Sanitari Integral, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Av. Josep Molins, 29 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08906, Barcelona, Spain. [email protected].
² Clinical Research Unit, CHU Brugmann, Brussels, Belgium.
³ WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Aspects of Musculo-Skeletal Health and Aging, Division of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁴ Geriatrics Department, Rehabilitation Research Group, Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
⁵ Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Departament, Parc de Salut Mar. Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
⁶ Department of Geriatric Medicine and Memory Clinic, Research Center on Autonomy and Longevity, University Hospital, Angers, France.
⁷ UPRES EA 4638, University of Angers, Angers, France.
⁸ Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
⁹ Primary Care Center La Florida, Costa Ponent Unit, Institut Català de La Salut, Catalan Health Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
¹⁰ Geriatrics and Palliative Care Department, Hospital General de L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Consorci Sanitari Integral, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Av. Josep Molins, 29 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08906, Barcelona, Spain.
¹¹ Geriatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
¹² Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
¹³ Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
¹⁴ Geriatrics Department, Liège University Hospital, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
¹⁵ Department of Healthcare for Older People, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK.
¹⁶ College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
¹⁷ Beacon Medical Centre, Sidmouth, Devon, UK.
¹⁸ Geriatrics Department, CHU Brugmann, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 33057981
PMCID: PMC7557304
DOI: 10.1007/s41999-020-00415-x

Erratum in

Correction to: Unmet needs, health policies, and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a report from six European countries.
Miralles O, Sanchez-Rodriguez D, Marco E, Annweiler C, Baztan A, Betancor É, Cambra A, Cesari M, Fontecha BJ, Gąsowski J, Gillain S, Hope S, Phillips K, Piotrowicz K, Piro N, Sacco G, Saporiti E, Surquin M, Vall-Llosera E. Miralles O, et al. Eur Geriatr Med. 2021 Jun;12(3):667. doi: 10.1007/s41999-021-00476-6. Eur Geriatr Med. 2021. PMID: 33751455 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Purpose: The United Nations (UN) has published a Policy Brief on the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) that identifies policies and responses to protect older adults. Our objective was to summarize actions, health policies and clinical guidelines adopted by six European countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and United Kingdom) during the pandemic, and to assess the impact of national policies on reducing adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in older populations.

Methods: Reports by geriatricians on the measures and actions undertaken by governmental institutions in each country between March and July 2020, as well as the role of primary care during the pandemic, covered three areas: (a) general health strategies related to the pandemic; (b) impact of COVID-19 on health inequity; and (c) initiatives and challenges for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Results: In the six countries, COVID-19 mortality in nursing homes ranged from 26 to 66%. Although all countries endorsed the World Health Organization general recommendations, the reports identified the lack of harmonized European guidelines and policies for nursing homes, with competencies transferred to national (or regional) governments. All countries restricted visits in nursing homes, but no specific action plans were provided. The role of primary care was limited by the centralization of the crisis in hospital settings.

Conclusions: The older population has been greatly affected by COVID-19 and by the policies initiated to control its spread. The right to health and dignity are transgenerational; chronological age should not be the sole criterion in policy decisions.

Keywords: Ageism; COVID-19; Geriatrics; Health policies; Older people; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that they have no cometing of interest.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
WHO general recommendations to prevent infection and transmission of COVID-19

**Fig. 2**
Comparison of selected measures specific to older adults implemented against COVID-19 as of May 2020 in Belgium, France, Italy, Poland*, Spain and UK (Scotland, England, Wales)

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

1. World Health Organization . Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation report—101. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.
1. Verity R, Okell LC, Dorigatti I, et al. Estimates of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019: a model-based analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20:669–677. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30243-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Abbatecola AM, Antonelli-Incalzi R. Editorial: COVID-19 spiraling of frailty in older Italian patients. J Nutr Health Aging. 2020;24:453–455. doi: 10.1007/s12603-020-1357-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. The Impact of COVID-19 on older persons (2020). https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Policy-Brief-The-Impact.... Accessed 20 Aug 2020
1. Statement of the EuGMS Executive Board on the COVID-19 epidemic - EuGMS. https://www.eugms.org/news/read/article/489.html. Accessed 8 Oct 2020

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[1] World Health Organization . Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation report—101. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.

[2] World Health Organization . Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation report—101. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.

[3] Verity R, Okell LC, Dorigatti I, et al. Estimates of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019: a model-based analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20:669–677. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30243-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Verity R, Okell LC, Dorigatti I, et al. Estimates of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019: a model-based analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20:669–677. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30243-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Abbatecola AM, Antonelli-Incalzi R. Editorial: COVID-19 spiraling of frailty in older Italian patients. J Nutr Health Aging. 2020;24:453–455. doi: 10.1007/s12603-020-1357-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Abbatecola AM, Antonelli-Incalzi R. Editorial: COVID-19 spiraling of frailty in older Italian patients. J Nutr Health Aging. 2020;24:453–455. doi: 10.1007/s12603-020-1357-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] The Impact of COVID-19 on older persons (2020). https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Policy-Brief-The-Impact.... Accessed 20 Aug 2020

[8] The Impact of COVID-19 on older persons (2020). https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Policy-Brief-The-Impact.... Accessed 20 Aug 2020

[9] Statement of the EuGMS Executive Board on the COVID-19 epidemic - EuGMS. https://www.eugms.org/news/read/article/489.html. Accessed 8 Oct 2020

[10] Statement of the EuGMS Executive Board on the COVID-19 epidemic - EuGMS. https://www.eugms.org/news/read/article/489.html. Accessed 8 Oct 2020

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Unmet needs, health policies, and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a report from six European countries

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Unmet needs, health policies, and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a report from six European countries

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Conflict of interest statement

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