Student-Directed Community Cardiovascular Screening at a Regional Campus - Before and After a Pandemic

Introduction: The 2020 pandemic of coronavirus-19 (COVID) resulted in declaration of states of emergency, leading to mandatory lock downs. Healthcare entered an unprecedented time as all elective procedures, some routine office visits, and screening efforts stopped with only life-saving services available. This study compared community cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening results before and after the cessation of the screenings required by pandemic limitations. Methods: Under the supervision of a regional dean, clinical medical students hosted CVD screenings in a rural Western Kentucky community at food banks, homeless shelters, and community resource fairs from 2017 through the present. Measurements included blood pressure and fingerstick total cholesterol and blood glucose. Abnormal results were followed up with an “on-the-spot” telehealth appointment or participants were referred to community health resources including the student-directed in-person free clinic. Measurements were compared pre- and post- COVID using chi-square. Findings: Both those with a previous diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes mellitus as well as the entire screened population showed a significant increase in frequency of CVD risk values post-COVID. Those with a previous diagnosis of hyperlipidemia showed no difference, but for the entire screened population, there was a significant 25% decrease in abnormal values for total cholesterol. Conclusions: Post-COVID CV risk values were significantly increased in this screened population. As our health system continues to recover, these results further support the importance of careful community-wide planning before the next pandemic occurs.