| Autor: |
Cho YJ; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Yeo IH; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Lee DE; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Kim JK; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Kim YJ; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Kim CH; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Choe JY; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Park JB; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Seo KS; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea., Yu BH; Intensive Care Unit, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41404, Republic of Korea., Lee WK; Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea. |
| Abstrakt: |
Background and Objectives: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a global public health crisis that has had a serious impact on emergency department (ED) utilization trends. The aim of this study was to investigate the collateral effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ED utilization trends by patients with mild and severe conditions as well as on 7-day fatality rates. Materials and Methods: We analyzed entries in the Korean National Health Insurance claims database between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020. Six target patient groups were identified using the main diagnosis codes in the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Numbers of patients visiting the ED, their age, regional differences, 7-day fatality rate, and rate of emergency procedures were compared between 2018 and 2019 as the control period and 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force. Results: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients who visited the ED with low-acuity diseases and severe acute respiratory infection diseases sharply decreased to −46.22% and −56.05%, respectively. However, the 7-day fatality rate after ED visits for low-acuity diseases and severe acute respiratory infection diseases increased to 0.04% (p < 0.01), and 1.65% (p < 0.01), respectively, in 2020 compared to that in the control period. Conclusions: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, ED utilization impacted and 7-day fatality rate after ED visit increased. Health authorities and health care providers must strive to ensure prompt delivery of optimal care in EDs for patients with severe or serious symptoms and time-dependent diseases, even during the ongoing COVID-19 or potential future pandemics. |
