Evaluating the Impact of Protocol-Driven Treatment for COVID-19 in an Emergency Department Observation Unit

Background Hospital overcrowding and operating above capacity have occurred frequently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Both phenomena can lead to worsened patient outcomes; thus, it is imperative to find solutions that tackle both. Our goal was to create a treatment protocol for a subset of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection that would combat inpatient overcrowding by diverting these patients to an emergency department (ED) observation unit (EDOU). This protocol was based on dynamic treatment guidelines and required regular updates to allow our team to provide the most up-to-date care throughout the pandemic. Methods This study is a retrospective chart review of all adult patients seen at two large suburban EDs for symptoms related to COVID-19 from April 2020 to January 2022. We subsequently identified adult patients who met the criteria for treatment with our COVID-19 protocol and were placed in our observation unit. These patients were identified using a flag for the protocol order set within our electronic medical record. Primary outcomes include the need for hospital admission, bounce back rate, and death rate. Results A total of 2,417 patients were treated in our ED observation units using our COVID-19 protocol. Our study population was evenly divided by gender, while a majority self-identified as white (76%). Five hundred two patients (20.8%) required admission to the hospital, and of these, 55 (11%) patients required intensive care unit (ICU) level of care. A total of 27 (1.1%) patients died. No deaths occurred for patients that remained within our ED observation units. Bounce back rates at the 48-hour, 72-hour, and seven-day marks were 3.6%, 4.6%, and 7.9%, respectively. Finally, we calculated a total of 284 inpatient days saved with the implementation of our protocol. Conclusion This study shows that our newly created protocol is effective in that it reduces the need for inpatient hospital admissions and results in low bounce back rates. Protocol-driven care in ED observation units can be a powerful tool against hospital overcrowding. Creating such protocols offers opportunities for hospital systems to provide efficient care at a significant cost savings without sacrificing quality of care. Our COVID-19 treatment protocol can be replicated by other hospital systems within their own ED observation units should any future similar outbreaks occur.