Length of Stay in the Emergency Department during COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Emergency Department overcrowding has become worsening problem internationally which may affect patient, emergency department efficiency and quality of care and this may lead to increased risk of in-hospital mortality, higher costs, medical errors and longer times to treatment. With this pandemic COVID-19 likely to go on for months, if not a year or longer, the Emergency Department should be prepared for large influx of patients infected with COVID-19. The aim of this study is to find-out the length of stay in emergency department during COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary care hospital in Nepal. METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Emergency Department of Kanti Children's Hospital. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional review committee-Kanti Children's Hospital. Data collection was done from the emergency records from July 23, 2020 to July 29, 2020. The calculated sample size was 211. The data thus obtained was entered in Statistical Package for the Social Science software version 20 and necessary calculations were done. RESULTS: The median length of stay in emergency department was found to be 1.75 hours (Interquartile range 0 to 30 hours). CONCLUSIONS: Definitive management starts in respective wards and Intensive Care Units. During COVID-19, with longer emergency stay, chances of cross-infection increases, and the health workers serving in emergency department will be at risks. So guidelines for shorter emergency stay should be implemented.