TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on trauma-related visits to a tertiary hospital emergency department
AU - Cordoba, Mordehay
AU - Anteby, Roi
AU - Zager, Yaniv
AU - Barash, Yiftach
AU - Klang, Eyal
AU - Nadler, Roy
AU - Amiel, Imri
AU - Gutman, Mordechai
AU - Horesh, Nir
AU - Aviran, Nimrod
AU - Klein, Yoram
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Israel Medical Association Journal. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic changed medical environments worldwide. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trauma-related visits to the emergency department (ED). Methods: A single tertiary center retrospective study was conducted that compared ED attendance of patients with injury-related morbidity between March 2020 (COVID-19 outbreak) and pre-COVID-19 periods: February 2020 and the same 2 months in 2018 and 2019. Results: Overall, 6513 patients were included in the study. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the daily number of patients visiting the ED for acute trauma declined by 40% compared to the average in previous months (P< 0.01). A strong negative correlation was found between the number of trauma-related ED visits and the log number of confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Israel (Pearson's r = -0.63, P < 0.01). In the COVID-19 period there was a significant change in the proportion of elderly patients (7% increase, P= 0.002), admissions ratio (12% increase, P < 0.001), and patients brought by emergency medical services (10% increase, P < 0.001). The number of motor vehicle accident related injury declined by 45% (P< 0.01). Conclusions: A significant reduction in the number of trauma patients presenting to the ED occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the percentage of admitted patients increased.
AB - Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic changed medical environments worldwide. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trauma-related visits to the emergency department (ED). Methods: A single tertiary center retrospective study was conducted that compared ED attendance of patients with injury-related morbidity between March 2020 (COVID-19 outbreak) and pre-COVID-19 periods: February 2020 and the same 2 months in 2018 and 2019. Results: Overall, 6513 patients were included in the study. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the daily number of patients visiting the ED for acute trauma declined by 40% compared to the average in previous months (P< 0.01). A strong negative correlation was found between the number of trauma-related ED visits and the log number of confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Israel (Pearson's r = -0.63, P < 0.01). In the COVID-19 period there was a significant change in the proportion of elderly patients (7% increase, P= 0.002), admissions ratio (12% increase, P < 0.001), and patients brought by emergency medical services (10% increase, P < 0.001). The number of motor vehicle accident related injury declined by 45% (P< 0.01). Conclusions: A significant reduction in the number of trauma patients presenting to the ED occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the percentage of admitted patients increased.
KW - Acute-care surgery
KW - Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)
KW - Emergency department
KW - Injury
KW - Trauma
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85101683603
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C2 - 33595211
AN - SCOPUS:85101683603
SN - 1565-1088
VL - 23
JO - Israel Medical Association Journal
JF - Israel Medical Association Journal
IS - 2
ER -
