Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Utilization of Other Health Services
Jason Flindall & Samantha Magnus, BC Ministry of Health

While it is inarguable that the direct effects of COVID-19 can be deadly, the indirect effects from efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are less well known. Research has suggested that health care avoidance, especially during the early days of the pandemic, may have resulted in delayed diagnoses and treatments. Likewise, prolonged closures of businesses and public spaces may restrict a person's access to physical activity and/or increase their risk of developing mental health disorders such as chronic anxiety or depression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the direct and indirect effects that the COVID-19 pandemic – and our response to it – has had on the health care utilization behaviour of B.C.'s ~5 million residents. We use ICD9 and ICD10-CA codes, drawn from B.C. MoH administrative records, to compare monthly encounter rates for 200+ health conditions to ARIMA-generated forecasts. Health condition groups are defined according to CIHI's Population Grouper methodology. 

Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) COVID-19 Dashboard
Jody Pow, HQCA

The Health Quality Council of Alberta's (HQCA) Primary Care Panel Reports have become a staple of quality improvement efforts for family physicians, paediatricians, and nurse practitioners over the past decade. In this presentation, the HQCA will describe the genesis, evolution, and future of the Primary Care Panel Reports with a focus on the use of Visual Analytics to report back to primary care providers on their patients' COVID-19 vaccination status.