by Hong Xiao, Guannan Bai, Fang Liu, Yuechong Cui, Joseph M. Unger Background The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted healthcare systems worldwide, with China presenting a unique case.
As the first country to report COVID-19 cases and the last to lift its stringent Zero-COVID policy, China presents a distinctive context for understanding the long-term effects of the pandemic on healthcare utilization. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of healthcare utilization trends in China over more than four years of the pandemic, focusing on how different phases, including the Zero-COVID policy and its cessation.
Methods and findings We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis of monthly healthcare utilization data from January 2015 to April 2024, including outpatient visits and inpatient discharges, across Mainland China, controlling for underlying secular trends and patterns. Hospital-based healthcare utilization data were sourced from the National Health Commission of China, and daily Policy Stringency Indices (higher values indicating stricter control policies) were obtained from Oxford’s COVID-19 Government Response Tracker.
PLOS Medicine published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 26 Mar 2026.
The item focuses on Policy stringency during the COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare services utilization in China: An interrupted time-series analysis.
Review the original article for the full source wording and details.