Emergency Center Curbside Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Infectious Disease Management
• Public Health

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted US healthcare systems, with Michigan being heavily affected.
• High patient volumes strained emergency departments during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and evaluate the safety and efficiency of an emergency center curbside testing procedure.
• To assess the feasibility of this model for other healthcare facilities.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary team implemented a curbside testing procedure at Beaumont Hospital.
• Data collected over 26 days included patient throughput, testing times, and return visit rates.

Main Results:

• 2782 patients utilized curbside services; 41% received nasopharyngeal swabs, with a 29.6% positive test rate.
• Median total process time was 28 minutes; median time to medical decision was 15 minutes.
• Only 9.2% of patients returned for evaluation within 7 days, with low admission and mortality rates.

Conclusions:

• The curbside testing model proved safe and efficient for managing COVID-19 testing.
• This model is recommended for implementation at other high-volume healthcare facilities during pandemics.