The first COVID-19 lockdown's impact on hand injuries at a Danish accident and emergency department

Area of Science:

• Trauma surgery
• Public health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Denmark (March 2020) led to a notable decrease in visits to the trauma Accidents and Emergency (A&E) Department at Odense University Hospital.
• An initial impression suggested a disproportionately larger decline in visits for non-severe injuries compared to severe ones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on injury visit rates at a trauma A&E department.
• To compare changes in injury rates for severe versus non-severe cases.
• To analyze demographic and injury characteristic variations during the lockdown period.

Main Methods:

• Incident rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated comparing the first month of lockdown (2020) to the preceding month.
• These lockdown IRRs were further compared to equivalent periods in 2019 to account for seasonal variations.
• Outcomes analyzed included diagnoses, activity during injury (ADI), injury mechanisms, age groups, and gender.

Main Results:

• A significant 30.6% overall reduction in hand injuries was observed in 2020.
• Non-severe injuries showed a significant 58.7% reduction in IRR, while severe injuries had a non-significant 15.3% reduction.
• Significant IRR reductions were noted in age groups 0-14, 15-17, and 25-49 years. Men experienced a larger relative reduction (40.8%) than women (22.3%), though this was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms a greater reduction in non-severe injuries compared to severe injuries during the initial COVID-19 lockdown when compared to the previous year.
• The findings may indicate a more cautious approach to seeking medical attention for less severe injuries during the lockdown.
• Further research is recommended to elucidate the underlying reasons for this observed phenomenon in trauma A&E attendance patterns.