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Decline in emergency department visits during the COVID-19 quarantine
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Galilee Medical Center, Nahariya, Israel.
Insights
The COVID-19 quarantine significantly reduced emergency department (ED) visits, including urgent cases, compared to previous years and holidays. This decline highlights potential patient concerns and the need for awareness of urgent medical situations.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Emergency department (ED) visits are categorized as urgent or non-urgent, with delays in care potentially leading to severe outcomes.
- The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted widespread restrictions and quarantines globally.
- Understanding shifts in healthcare utilization during pandemics is crucial for public health preparedness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated quarantine measures on emergency department visit rates.
- To compare ED visit trends during the COVID-19 quarantine period with parallel periods from 2013-2019.
- To evaluate the decrease in ED visits relative to expected reductions during holidays and weekends.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive retrospective study design was employed.
- ED referral causes were classified into urgent and non-urgent, with further subcategorization (e.g., infectious, cardiac).
- Data from the spring 2020 COVID-19 quarantine period were compared against historical data from 2013-2019, as well as holiday and weekend periods.
Main Results:
- A 56.3% decrease in mean daily ED visits was observed during the spring 2020 COVID-19 quarantine compared to preceding years.
- This significant reduction was evident for both urgent and non-urgent ED visit categories and all subcategories.
- ED visit rates during quarantine were substantially lower than during preceding years, main holidays, and weekends, even for urgent, life-threatening conditions.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 quarantine period demonstrated a significant decline in emergency department utilization, affecting all visit types.
- Healthcare providers must address patient concerns and enhance awareness of critical symptoms during public health crises.
- Findings are relevant for regional planners, historians, sociologists, and international healthcare organizations in understanding pandemic-related healthcare behavior.
Background:
Emergency department (ED) visits can be divided into urgent and non-urgent. A delay in seeking medical help, especially in urgent cases, can lead to fatal consequences, along with a higher rate of complications and morbidity. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spread led to restrictions and eventually quarantines. We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 spread and quarantine on ED visits rates comparing to parallel periods in preceding years (2013-2019). In addition, we compared this decrease to holidays and weekends, times in which a decrease in ED visits is seen.
Methods:
This was a descriptive retrospective study. Causes of ED referrals were divided into urgent and non-urgent, then into different subcategories including infectious, cardiac, etc. RESULTS: For the spring COVID-192020 quarantine period, a 56.3% decrease of mean ED visits per day was seen, as compared to preceding years (55.7% and 98.9% respectively). This decrease was also statistically evident when comparing the urgent and non-urgent causes separately and for all sub-categories. This pattern of decrease also showed statistical evidence of fewer ED visits during holidays for most comparisons, in which lower ED visit rates are expected. Significantly lower rates of ED visits were demonstrated during the COVID-19 quarantine period, as compared to preceding years and main holidays and weekends, a decrease that was also demonstrated for urgent life-threatening causes.
Conclusion:
Our findings can be used to inform a wide range of stakeholders, including regional planners, historians, sociologists, and international healthcare organizations. Healthcare providers should understand the reasons for this ED visit decline pattern, attempt to address patients' concerns, and increase awareness regarding alarming symptoms in urgent medical situations.
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