Decline in emergency department visits during the COVID-19 quarantine

Daoud, Amani; Ronen, Ohad

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2023.06.002

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Also, the decrease was stronger in young age groups [28,29] and in patients affected by trauma [6,30]. Other results were not on the same line: Studies looking at emergency department use report declines in patients with neurological symptoms [6,31,32] and cardiovascular disease [32]. Cardiovascular complaints were the most frequent reason for EMS use, yet we did not detect pronounced declines in these categories, except during the first lockdown.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 60%

Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services Utilization Amid COVID-19 in 2020: Descriptive Study Based on Routinely Collected Dispatch Data in Bavaria, Germany

et al. 2023

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Background and Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the utilization of health care services and posed organizational challenges. While many previous studies focused on the misuse of pre-hospital EMS for low-urgency health problems, the pandemic has put more emphasis on the avoidance of medically necessary calls. Objective: To compare the utilization of pre-hospital emergency medical services before and after specific pandemic periods. Design, setting and participants: This was a retrospective, descriptive analysis of routine data from 26 dispatch centers in Bavaria, Germany. Outcomes measure and analysis: We investigated the number of emergencies per 100,000 population, as well as the relative change in the emergency rates and transport rates in 2020, compared to the two previous years. Boxplots showed the distributions across the Bavarian districts per calendar week. The mean rates and standard deviations as well as the relative changes were presented for the specific periods. A paired samples t-test was used to compare the rates. Main results: Compared to the average of the two previous years, the emergency rates in 2020 were lower in 35 out of 52 calendar weeks. The strongest reductions were observed during the first wave, where the average emergency rate declined by 12.9% (SD 6.8, p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall emergency rate during the summer holidays. Lower transport rates were observed throughout the year, especially during the first wave. Conclusions: Utilization of pre-hospital emergency medical services decreased in 2020, especially during the periods with strict measures. This could be due to the lower morbidity from the behavioral changes during the pandemic, but also to the avoidance of medical services for both less urgent and severe conditions. While a reduction in unnecessary care would be beneficial, patients must be encouraged to seek necessary urgent care, even during a pandemic.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 60%

Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services Utilization Amid COVID-19 in 2020: Descriptive Study Based on Routinely Collected Dispatch Data in Bavaria, Germany

et al. 2023

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“…Although this study being a retrospective study didn't explore the reason for this observation, it could be attributed to the global lock down for Covid-19. During this period, hospital visits were minimized as patients assessed hospital care only when it was absolutely necessary [23,24]. Perhaps also, the fact that parents and caregivers were locked down with children at home could have resulted in better supervision of their children during this period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Outcome of Paediatric Domestic Accidents in a Tertiary Health Facility in Rivers State, Nigeria

Okari T.G,

Wonodi W.

2024

AJPR

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Background: Unintentional injuries occurring in or within the vicinity of the home resulting in temporary or permanent health impairment are largely preventable. However, they are contributors to childhood morbidity and could lead to mortality in severe cases. Objectives: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence, pattern and outcome of domestic injuries among children admitted into the Children’s Emergency Room (CHER) in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH). Methods: This was a 5-year retrospective study of 179 children with domestic injuries admitted into the children’s emergency unit from January 2017 to December 2021. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, cause, type and outcome of domestic injuries were collected from their medical records and analyzed with SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 3987 children aged < 18 years were admitted into CHER. Out of these, 179 (4.48%) children had injuries from domestic accidents. Majority of them 89 (46.9%) were under-fives and males 108 (60.3%). Three commonest causes of home accidents were falls 52 (29.1%), burns 44 (24.6%) and mechanical trauma 32 (17.8%). Common domestic injuries observed in the study were burns (24.6%), head injuries (20.7%), ingestion of poisonous substances (13.4%) and lacerations (11.7%). Burns injuries were significantly more prevalent among females and poisoning among males. Incidents of poisoning was significantly more prevalent among under-fives (21.4%) and animal bites (13.7%) among older children, (p value < 0.05). The mean duration of admission in the emergency room was 1.27 ± 1.90 days. Three children (1.7%) died in the emergency room and all mortalities occurred within 48 hours of admission. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of domestic injuries among children in this study was low, parents, caregivers and the government can institute measures to further curb its incidence.

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Utilization among Medically Underserved Patients with Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions

Chumbler,

Ogunsanmi,

Surbhi

2024

Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology

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Introduction This study aims to examine (1) the impact of the pandemic phases on overall and preventable hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits, and (2) the effect of the pandemic on these outcomes within subgroup populations including gender, race, patients’ residence in health professional shortage areas (HPSA), and residence in a federal poverty level. Study Design We used electronic medical record (EMR) data for the year 2019 and 2020 from a large health system predominantly serving medically underserved patients in the South. We used a difference-in-differences approach to examine changes in weekly rates of overall and preventable hospitalizations and ED visits in the pandemic phase 1 (Mid-March to June of 2020) and phase 2 (July-September of 2020) compared to the same period in 2019 after adjusting for weekly outcome rates in the baseline period (January to Mid-March of 2020) compared to the same period in 2019. Results The study sample included 1.4 million hospitalizations and ED encounters. In phase 1 of the pandemic, there were significant reductions in overall (−108) and preventable (−75.3) hospitalizations, and overall (−408) and preventable (−306) ED visits when compared to the same period in 2019. In phase 2 of the pandemic, there were significant reductions in overall (−60) and preventable (−43) hospitalizations and in overall (−360) and preventable (−258) ED visits as compared to 2019. We found greater reductions in ED visits, both overall and preventable, during the early pandemic phases among Black patients than among White patients. Similar patterns in the reduction of ED visits were found in Black versus White patients within subgroups of women, men, and those residing in a HPSA and low-income areas. Discussion Substantial reductions in utilization were observed in Black patients in comparison to white patients and these differences persisted among men, women, and those living in underserved and low-income areas.

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Decline in emergency department visits during the COVID-19 quarantine

Cited by 4 publications

References 16 publications

Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services Utilization Amid COVID-19 in 2020: Descriptive Study Based on Routinely Collected Dispatch Data in Bavaria, Germany

Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services Utilization Amid COVID-19 in 2020: Descriptive Study Based on Routinely Collected Dispatch Data in Bavaria, Germany

Prevalence and Outcome of Paediatric Domestic Accidents in a Tertiary Health Facility in Rivers State, Nigeria

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Utilization among Medically Underserved Patients with Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions

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