Emergencies in the COVID-19 Era: Less Attendances, More Admissions

Introduction Healthcare systems suffered a significant hit by the COVID-19 pandemic since the spring of 2020, and a need for major reorganization emerged. Along with the constant increase in COVID-19 cases, a significant drop in emergency attendances for non-COVID-19-related conditions was noted worldwide. We decided to document attendances in our hospital's emergency department during the first lockdown period in order to monitor this trend, compare it to data from other countries, and start monitoring the effects of this reduction in the years to come. Materials and methods Emergency department attendances at AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece, from March 10, 2020, to May 31, 2020, were documented and compared to the corresponding period in 2019. The data collected included the number of patients per specialty, severity upon admission, as well as the need for admission. Results We found a 58% reduction in emergency department attendance during the studied period compared to the corresponding period in 2019 (p<0.0001). The reduction was more noticeable in ears, nose, throat (ENT), and ophthalmology attendances (75.7% and 78.1% reductions, respectively, p<0.001), but other specialties, such as cardiology and general surgery, were also significantly affected (60% and 63% reductions, respectively, p<0.001). However, the percentage of attendances that required admission increased significantly by 25-33% (p<0.001) during the lockdown, reflecting the higher severity of cases reaching the hospital. Conclusion Despite the obvious reduction in attendances during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients still suffer from serious conditions that require hospital admission. Therefore, hospitals need to be supported to also care for these patients. The long-term effects of avoiding hospital attendance need to be closely monitored.