EN | TR
E-ISSN: 1307-5608
The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits
PDF
Cite
Share
Request
Research Article
VOLUME: 75 ISSUE: 3
P: 421-427
September 2022

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits

J Ankara Univ Fac Med 2022;75(3):421-427
DOI: 10.4274/atfm.galenos.2022.49092
Yaşar Çatal 1
İsmail Altıntop 2
1. Kayseri Devlet Hastanesi, Acil Tıp Kliniği, Kayseri, Türkiye
2. Kayseri Tıp Fakültesi, Acil Tıp Anabilim Dalı, Kayseri, Türkiye
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 28.03.2022
Accepted Date: 17.08.2022
Publish Date: 18.10.2022
PDF
Cite
Share
Request

ABSTRACT

Objectives:

It was aimed to examine the impact of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on admissions to emergency department by comparing emergency department patient visits during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period and the pandemic period.

Materials and Methods:

In order to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency department visits, emergency department visits one year before the first pandemic case in Turkey (pre-pandemic period) and one year after the first case (pandemic period) were compared. Demographic data of the patients were collected retrospectively. The reasons for the visits of patients to the emergency department were recorded by examining the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code ICD-10 codes were divided into 10 main categories in clinically significant groups.

Results:

A total of 917,335 patients were admitted to the emergency department between the dates specified as the study period of these patients, 65.65% (n=602,231) were in the pre-pandemic period and 34.35% (n=315,104) were in the pandemic period. It was observed that there was a 47.7% decrease in emergency department visits during the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period. Also, during the pandemic period, admissions to the emergency department concerning neurological, respiratory, genitourinary, trauma, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, muscle-skeletal, eye diseases, ear diseases, and other diagnoses of diseases showed a reduction of 46.7%, 46.7%, 39.2%, 38.2%, 67.8%, 43.4%, 29.2%, 49.6%, 72.6%, and 54%, respectively.

Conclusion:

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced emergency department visits for all disease diagnostic groups. The effect of this situation on morbidity and mortality in patients will be revealed in future studies.

Keywords: COVID-19, Emergency Service, Pandemic

References

1
Organization WH. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): situation report, 94. 2020. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200423-sitrep-94-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=b8304bf0_4.
2
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID19. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
3
WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Retrieved from https://covid19.who.int/. Date of access: 24.01.2022.
4
Callaway E, Cyranoski D, Mallapaty S, et al. The coronavirus pandemic in five powerful charts. Nature. 2020;579:482-483.
5
Kelly E, Firth Z. The Health Foundation. How Is COVID-19 Changing the Use of Emergency Care?. Retrieved from https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/how-is-covid-19-changing-the-use-of-emergency-care.
6
Adjemian J, Hartnett KP, Kite-Powell A, et al. Update: COVID-19 Pandemic-Associated Changes in Emergency Department Visits - United States, December 2020-January 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70:552-556.
7
Bres Bullrich M, Fridman S, Mandzia JL, et al. COVID-19: Stroke Admissions, Emergency Department Visits, and Prevention Clinic Referrals. Can J Neurol Sci. 2020;47:693-696.
8
Rodriguez-Leor O, Cid-Alvarez B, Ojeda S, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interventional cardiology activity in Spain. REC Interv Cardiol. 2020;2:82-89.
9
Göksoy B, Akça MT, Inanç ÖF. The impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on emergency department visits of surgical patients. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2020;26:685-692.
10
Mulholland RH, Wood R, Stagg HR, Fischbacher C, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on accident and emergency attendances and emergency and planned hospital admissions in Scotland: an interrupted time-series analysis. J R Soc Med. 2020;113:444-453.
11
Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-PCS Procedures. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). Retrieved from https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/toolssoftware/ccsr/prccsr.jsp
12
Pines JM, Zocchi MS, Black BS, et al. Characterizing pediatric emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Emerg Med. 2021;41:201-204.
13
Fidancı İ, Taşar MA, Akıntuğ B, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric emergency service. Int J Clin Pract. 2021;75:e14398.
14
Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020;395:497-506.
15
Kim HS, Cruz DS, Conrardy MJ, et al. Emergency Department Visits for Serious Diagnoses During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Acad Emerg Med. 2020;27:910-913.
16
Yeo C, Kaushal S, Yeo D. Enteric involvement of coronaviruses: is faecal-oral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 possible? Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;5:335-337.
17
Dan F, Jingdong M, Jialun G, et al. Manifestations of digestive system in hospitalized patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a single-center, descriptive study. Chin J Dig. 2020;12:151-156.
18
Rausei S, Ferrara F, Zurleni T, et al. Dramatic decrease of surgical emergencies during COVID-19 outbreak. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2020;89:1085-1091.
19
Chen X, Laurent S, Onur OA, et al. A systematic review of neurological symptoms and complications of COVID-19. J Neurol. 2021;268:392-402.
20
Bamaga AK, Alharbi O, Bajuaifer M, et al. The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits for Neurological Diseases in Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2020;12:e12200.
21
Heppner Z, Shreffler J, Polites A, et al. COVID-19 and emergency department volume: The patients return but have different characteristics. Am J Emerg Med. 2021;45:385-388.
22
Schwarz V, Mahfoud F, Lauder L, et al. Decline of emergency admissions for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events after the outbreak of COVID-19. Clin Res Cardiol. 2020;109:1500-1506.
23
Montagnon R, Rouffilange L, Agard G, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Department Use: Focus on Patients Requiring Urgent Revascularization. J Emerg Med. 2021;60:229-236.
24
Varga Z, Flammer AJ, Steiger P, et al. Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19. Lancet. 2020;395:1417-1418.
25
Klok FA, Kruip MJHA, van der Meer NJM, et al. Incidence of thrombotic complications in critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19. Thromb Res. 2020;191:145-147.
26
Nuñez JH, Sallent A, Lakhani K, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on an Emergency Traumatology Service: Experience at a Tertiary Trauma Centre in Spain. Injury. 2020;51:1414-1418.
27
Ribau A, Vale J, Xará-Leite F, et al. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown in an orthopaedic and traumatology department-a comparison with the homologous period of 2019. Porto Biomed J. 2021;6:e109.
28
Comelli I, Scioscioli F, Cervellin G. Impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on census, organization and activity of a large urban Emergency Department. Acta Biomed. 2020;91:45-49.
29
Castagneto-Gissey L, Casella G, Russo MF, et al. Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on emergency surgery and emergency department admissions: an Italian level 2 emergency department experience. Br J Surg. 2020;107:e374-e375.
2024 ©️ Galenos Publishing House