Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on interhospital transfer of patients with major trauma in Korea: a retrospective cohort...

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Trauma Surgery
• Public Health

Background:

• Interhospital transfer (IHT) is crucial for severe trauma care.
• Limited research exists on IHT during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The pandemic's specific impact on major trauma IHT was unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on interhospital transfers for trauma patients.
• To compare IHT patterns before and during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study at an urban trauma center in Daegu, Korea.
• Compared data from the COVID-19 period (Feb 2020-Jan 2021) with the preceding year.
• Analyzed 2,100 patient records.

Main Results:

• Total IHTs decreased by 40.5% during the pandemic.
• Trauma team activation (TTA) increased for both major trauma and total patients.
• Patients experienced longer times from incident to trauma center and reduced secondary transfers.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant reduction in IHTs for trauma patients.
• Increased TTA and longer pre-hospital times were observed during the pandemic.
• Fewer secondary transfers occurred, indicating altered patient management pathways.