COVID‐19: How do emergency departments fare after normalisation steps?

Abstract

Objective: Restrictions imposed for the COVID-19 pandemic and the people's fear of getting infected have caused a significant drop in the number of emergency service admissions. Herein, we aimed to investigate the reflections of our otherwise crowded emergency services' quietness in the period of normalisation. Methodology: Our study retrospectively investigated three groups of patients: the patients who were admitted to the emergency service in the 'Period of Restrictions' when the restrictions were imposed to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infection; the patients who were admitted to the emergency service in the 'Period of Normalisation' when normalisation attempts were made and the restrictions were lifted; and the patients who were admitted to the emergency service in the 'Period of Pre-pandemic Normal' exactly 1 year before the normalisation period, which would reflect the normal functioning of the emergency service at that time. The three groups were compared with respect to the demographic characteristics and patient outcomes (death/hospitalisation/discharge). Results: A total of 69 474 patients were admitted to the emergency service in the 'Period of Pre-pandemic Normal' whereas 21 278 patients were admitted in the 'Period of Restrictions'. The number of emergency service admissions in the 'Period of Restrictions' was significantly lower (P < .01). A total of 72 843 patients were admitted to the emergency service in the 'Period of Normalisation'. There was no statistically significant difference between the 'Period of Pre-pandemic Normal' and the 'Period of Normalisation' in terms of the number of emergency service admissions (P = .127). A total of 9421 (13.5%) patients were hospitalised in the 'Period of Pre-pandemic Normal' and the corresponding figure for the 'Period of Normalisation' was 19 876 (27.2%). A total of 24 (0.03%) patients died in the 'Period of Pre-pandemic Normal', whereas 172 (0.23%) patients died in the 'Period of Normalisation'. The number of patients who were hospitalised and lost in the 'Period of Normalisation' was significantly higher than that of patients who were hospitalised and lost in the 'Period of Pre-pandemic Normal' (P < .01). Conclusion: In the period of COVID-19 pandemic, fear of getting infected and the restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the disease have kept people out of hospitals. We believe that while the restrictions imposed on various activities have prevented the virus from spreading, they also caused the course of non-COVID-19 diseases to worsen and mortality rates to rise. Therefore, we are of the opinion that the public How to cite this article: Görmeli Kurt N, Çamcı M. COVID-19: How do emergency departments fare after normalisation steps?.

The effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic on dermatology consultation requests from adult and paediatric emergency departments

“… 12 , 13 A significant drop in ED presentations because of non‐urgent complaints as well as those related to trauma, and cardiological and cerebrovascular events have been observed. 4 The present findings show that the number of presentations to the PED and AED because of dermatological complaints decreased significantly during the COVID‐19 pandemic, especially between March and May 2020, as reported elsewhere. 14 , 15 The decrease in ED presentations observed in the present study was most pronounced among elderly and paediatric patients, which is thought to be related to the fear of COVID‐19 infection and the severity of the disease.…”

“…The number of ED presentations during the COVID‐19 pandemic has decreased significantly in Turkey, 11 as it has worldwide 12,13 . A significant drop in ED presentations because of non‐urgent complaints as well as those related to trauma, and cardiological and cerebrovascular events have been observed 4 . The present findings show that the number of presentations to the PED and AED because of dermatological complaints decreased significantly during the COVID‐19 pandemic, especially between March and May 2020, as reported elsewhere 14,15 .…”

“…In addition to the fact that those that present to EDs with non‐urgent complaints play a role in such overcrowding, consultation requests from the ED to other departments prolong patient length of stay in the ED, adding to the workload 26 . It was reported that even though ED presentation of patients because of non‐COVID‐19 dermatological diseases decreased within a few months of the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the number of patients can increase over time with relaxation of COVID‐19 restrictions, 4 as occurred in the present study. As such, ED physicians should carefully assess the need for dermatology consultation via proper anamnesis and dermatological examination.…”

“…Moreover, a weekend lockdown for everyone in Turkey has been imposed intermittently since 11 April 2020 3 . In June 2020, Turkey began easing these COVID‐19 restrictions as the spread of the virus slowed, and by the end of November 2020 control measures consisted almost exclusively of mandatory social distancing and mask wearing, and personal hygiene 4 …”

The Adverse Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Abdominal Emergencies: A Retrospective Clinico-Pathological Analysis

“…This reorganization also reshaped emergency care, as well as patients' behaviors and attitudes towards healthcare services. During the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, a strong reduction in emergency department (ED) visits was reported in many countries [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] due to patients' fear of becoming infected. This delay in seeking medical attention could have negatively affected patients' management and outcomes, especially when dealing with life-threating or oncological conditions [16][17][18][19], but also with other time-dependent medical emergencies/urgencies [20].…”