A cross-sectional questionnaire study in a phototherapy unit during COVID-19

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, social isolation measures were imposed in Brazil to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), requiring health services to implement contingency plans. The main objective of the study was to verify the status of the disease, self-reported by patients who discontinued phototherapy, during a period of social isolation. METHODS: All patients receiving phototherapy at the Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, Brazil, prior to the implementation of social distancing measures were eligible for inclusion in the study. 86 patients answered a questionnaire during a medical evaluation. RESULTS: 95% of patients who stopped phototherapy reported a worsening of disease status. Only 19% of patients continued to attend phototherapy sessions during the social isolation period. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic led most patients to stop phototherapy, resulting in the perception of increased disease severity in an outpatient sample in southern Brazil.