Locked down: Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on trauma presentations to the emergency department

Venter, Andrew D.; Lewis, Carolyn; Saffy, Patricia M.; Chadinha, Louis

doi:10.7196/samj.2021.v111i1.15289

Cited by 36 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The question as to whether these two particular responses (curfews and restrictions on sale of alcohol) had an effect on reducing unnatural deaths and trauma unit admissions in SA is important in its own right, and has generated substantial debate and commentary due to its economic impacts. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Recently, media attention [9,10] has been given to a study funded by an alcohol-industry group that asserts that the ban on alcohol sales and consumption had no effect in reducing trauma unit admissions, of which unnatural deaths are the extreme end of the continuum of trauma injuries. This contradicts another analysis that ascribes a significant decrease in unnatural deaths to the implementation of a sudden unexpected prohibition on alcohol sales in mid-July 2020 and a negligible impact of curfew duration.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unnatural deaths, alcohol bans and curfews: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment during COVID-19

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unnatural deaths, alcohol bans and curfews: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment during COVID-19

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In accordance with these findings, previous studies have demonstrated similar trends in the etiology of injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic. A decrease in traffic-related injuries was observed in studies conducted in the US ( 23 ), the UK ( 26 ), Europe ( 27 , 28 ), Australia ( 13 , 29 ), and South Africa ( 14 , 15 ). The present study's findings also accord with earlier observations from different studies, which showed an increase in assault injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 30 , 31 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…A study conducted in Italy that investigated wrist and hand injuries found a significant reduction in traffic crashes during the lockdown period than in 2019 (10). Similarly, a decrease in trauma has been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Austria (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Injuries in Saudi Arabia: Results From a Level-I Trauma Center

Hakeem

Alshahrani

Ghobain

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an enormous strain on global health. Due to precautionary measures, the epidemiology of health conditions may have been affected. Saudi Arabia imposed a lockdown order on March 25, 2020. This study investigated the impact of the pandemic lockdown on injuries in a level-I trauma center in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methods: This retrospective study identified all injured patients seeking emergency care during the lockdown period (March 25–June 21, 2020) and a similar period in two previous year (March 25–June 21) 2018 and 2019. The collected data included patients' demographics, injury types, mechanisms, and health outcomes.Results: Two hundred sixty nine injured patients sought emergency care during the lockdown, while 626 and 696 patients were treated in the same period of 2018 and 2019, respectively. There was a significant reduction in motor vehicle crashes (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.31–0.73) and burns (OR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.08–0.66), coupled with a significant increase in assault injuries (OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.30–3.74) in the lockdown period compared to 2019. Apart from the intensive care unit (ICU) admission and hospital length of stay, there were no differences between the two periods in the health outcomes. ICU admission was significantly reduced by 57% during the lockdown period (OR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.22–0.83). Mechanisms of injuries were not significant predictors of deaths or ICU admission or both in the lockdown period.Conclusion: The COVID-19 lockdown had a clear impact on the volume and mechanisms of injuries. The findings highlight that injury risk factors are modifiable and emphasize the importance of public health measures for preventing injuries and the significance of maintaining trauma services capacity during pandemics.

show abstract

“…Other studies from SA hospitals have also reported decreases in trauma cases. [7][8][9] Total operations, n…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the surgical backlog from the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa: A retrospective analysis of six government hospitals

Chu

Bougard

Strauss³

et al. 2021

S Afr Med J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, a disease resulting from a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. South Africa (SA) has had more than 1 million cases, more than half of the COVID-19 infection on the African continent. [1] The first COVID-19 case in SA was on 5 March 2020. In preparation for the anticipated upsurge in cases, a national lockdown began on 27 March, which closed all borders, schools and large gatherings. All persons were required to stay at home if not involved in essential activities. Because COVID-19 is an acute respiratory syndrome, some patients with severe disease have required ventilator support and intensive care unit support. In order to prepare hospitals for the COVID-19 surge, health facilities reduced non-essential activity, such as elective surgical care. [2] A 2020 national survey of SA surgeons reported that >90% of hospitals cancelled or reduced elective procedures in April. [3] Modelling studies have estimated a national backlog of ~150 000 surgical procedures, but studies reporting primary data on operative volume are lacking. [3,4] ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study was to estimate the surgical backlog due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Western Cape Province, SA, by comparing 2019 and 2020 elective general surgery operative volume at six district and regional hospitals. The secondary objective was to compare the operative volume of appendicectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, cancer and trauma between the 2 years. Methods Design and settingThis was a retrospective study of general surgery operations from six SA government hospitals in the Western Cape. Data were obtained This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.

show abstract

Locked down: Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on trauma presentations to the emergency department

Cited by 36 publications

References 10 publications

Unnatural deaths, alcohol bans and curfews: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment during COVID-19

Unnatural deaths, alcohol bans and curfews: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment during COVID-19

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Injuries in Saudi Arabia: Results From a Level-I Trauma Center

Estimating the surgical backlog from the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa: A retrospective analysis of six government hospitals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About