Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2025
Block Building Task Identifies Distinct Groups of Left/Right-hand Choice Patterns After Unilateral Peripheral Nerve Injury
Published on: March 21, 2025
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hand injuries
Melekber Çavuş Özkan1, Ömer Saraç1, Mehmet Deniz Kesimer2
1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul-Türkiye.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced emergency department hand injury visits by 47.6%, increasing home accidents. This study guides pandemic hand injury management.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Trauma Surgery
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented social restrictions.
- Understanding the impact of these restrictions on emergency department (ED) visits for hand injuries is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate hand injury etiologies in the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To compare these etiologies with the previous year.
- To assess the pandemic's effect on treatment decisions and COVID-19 infection rates.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study of 229 patients with hand injuries admitted to the ED between March 15 and April 30, 2020.
- Comparison with a control group of 439 patients from the same period in 2019.
- Analysis of demographics, trauma causes, treatment, and 14-day post-admission infection status.
Main Results:
- ED admissions for hand injuries decreased by 47.6% during the pandemic.
- Consultations to the surgery department dropped by 52.6%.
- Home accidents became more frequent, with glass cuts and penetrating injuries being the most common causes.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 social restrictions significantly altered hand injury patterns and reduced ED visits.
- Increased time spent indoors correlated with a rise in home-related accidents.
- Findings offer guidance for managing hand injuries during pandemics.
Background:
The aim of the study was to evaluate etiologies of hand injuries in emergency department (ED), to compare the etiologies of hand injuries at the time of this study with the previous year, to assess whether novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the treatment decisions, and to investigate the COVID-19 infection rate within the first 14 days after admission.
Methods:
A total of 229 patients admitted to ED with hand injury between March 15 and April 30, 2020, were included in the study. The control group consisted of 439 ED admissions with hand injury in the previous year (March 15-April 30, 2019). Data including age, sex, cause of trauma, treatment, and COVID-19 infection status within 14 days after ED admission were compared between groups.
Results:
The mean age was 32.30±15.63 years in the study group and 30.85±18.54 years in the control group. The number of patients consulted to the surgery department decreased by 52.6% and the number of patients admitted to ED with hand injuries de-creased by 47.6% during the pandemic, compared to the previous year (p=0.0001). The incidence of home accidents increased and the glass cuts and penetrating/perforating injuries were the most common causes during the pandemic most of which occurred at home.
Conclusion:
The COVID-19 pandemic-mandated social restrictions led to a significant decrease in the number of ED admissions with hand injuries and the type of injuries. The incidence of home accidents increased with more time spent indoors. This study may be a useful guide for ED admissions of hand injury cases and management planning in the current and future pandemics.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Hand hygiene
Hand washing...
01:15Handwashing III: During the Procedure and Post-Procedure Steps
01:19Handwashing II: Pre-procedure and Initial Procedure Steps
The hand washing procedure itself includes the following steps. First, cover cuts, if any, on hands with a waterproof dressing. Cuts and abrasions can become contaminated with bacteria hindering the ability to clean the area thoroughly. In addition, repeated hand washing can worsen an injury. The nails must be short and clean, without nail...
01:26Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:18Handwashing I: Introduction and Types of Equipment
Hand wash basins in clinical areas should have faucets that can be turned on and off without using the hands; that is, they should be non-touch or lever-operated....