Articles: emergency-services.
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Multicenter Study
Paediatric patients seen in 18 emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public health mitigation strategies in British Columbia during the pandemic included stay-at-home orders and closure of non-essential services. While most primary physicians' offices were closed, hospitals prepared for a pandemic surge and emergency departments (EDs) stayed open to provide care for urgent needs. We sought to determine whether ED paediatric presentations prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic changed and review acuity compared with seasonal adjusted prior year. ⋯ Paediatric emergency medicine attendances were reduced to one-third of normal numbers during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in British Columbia, Canada, with the reduction mainly seen in minor illnesses that do not usually require admission.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Dec 2020
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational StudyDramatic decrease of surgical emergencies during COVID-19 outbreak.
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, a general decrease in surgical activity was observed. There is perception that this phenomenon has involved also surgical emergency, but no extensive data have been presented to date. The aim of this study was to analyze the real number of admissions and procedures for emergency surgical disease during COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Epidemiological, level III.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Nov 2020
Multicenter StudySARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Impact on Pediatric Emergency Rooms: A Multicenter Study.
From 9 March to 3 May 2020, lockdown was declared in Italy due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Our aim was to evaluate how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related preventive strategies affected pediatric emergency rooms (ERs) during this period. We performed a retrospective cohort multicenter study, comparing the lockdown period to the corresponding period in 2019. ⋯ Considering the triage category, red codes remained similar (1% vs. 1%), yellow codes increased (11.2% vs. 22.3%), and green codes decreased (80.3% vs. 69.5%). We can speculate that social distancing and simple hygiene measures drastically reduced the spread of air communicable diseases. The increase in yellow codes may have been related to a delay in primary care and, consequently, in ER admissions.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Nov 2020
Multicenter Study Observational StudyAnalysis of Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Activity during Influenza Season, COVID-19 Epidemic, and Lockdown Periods in View of Managing a Future Disaster Risk: A Multicenter Observational Study.
ED-visits and through-ED admissions to medical/surgical wards (MSW) and intensive care unit (ICU) during influenza, COVID-19 and lockdown periods were evaluated in a four-hospital prospective observational study from November 2018 to March 2020. ED visit characteristics and main diagnostic categories were assessed. Analysis of 368,262 ED-visits highlighted a significantly increasing trend in ED-visits during influenza followed by a significantly decreasing trend after lockdown. ⋯ During lockdown, significantly diminishing trends were shown for all diagnostic categories (between -40.8% and -73.6%), except influenza-like illness/COVID cases (+31.6%), Pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis (+33.5%) and frequent users (+188.0%). The present study confirms an increase in demand during the influenza epidemic and during the initial phase of the COVID-19 epidemic, but a drop in activity during the lockdown, mainly related to non-COVID conditions. Syndromic surveillance of ILI cases in ED is a tool for monitoring influenza and COVID-19, and it can predict ED activity and the need for MSW and ICU beds.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Volume and Acuity of Emergency Department Visits Prior To and After COVID-19.
There are scant data regarding the change in volume and acuity of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) after Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. ⋯ Sharp declines in ED visits and the triage acuity seen in both general and specialty hospitals raise the concern that severely ill patients may not be seeking timely care, and a surge may be expected once current restrictions on movement are lifted.