Examining patient flow in a tertiary hospital’s emergency department at a low coronavirus prevalence region

BACKGROUND: Taiwan’s successful containment of the COVID-19 outbreak prior to 2021 provided a unique environment for the surveillance of unnecessary emergency medical use. The aim of the study is to examine the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the patient flow in the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary hospital over 1 year in southern Taiwan, a region with low COVID-19 prevalence. METHODS: Cross-sectional observational study was conducted from January to December 2020. Essential parameters of patient flow in the ED between January and February 2020 and the subsequent 11-month period were compared to data from 2019. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, using an independent sample t-test or Mann–Whitney U test, as applicable. RESULTS: The ED census showed an acute decline (− 30.8%) from January to February 2020, reaching its nadir (− 40.5%) in April 2020. From February to December 2020, there was an average decrease of 20.3% in ED attendance (p < 0.001). The impact was most significant in ambulatory visits, lower-urgency acuity (level III) visits, and pediatric visits, without change in the acuity proportion. The length of stay shortened mainly in the adult division, which typically had an overcrowding problem (median, 5.7–4.4 hours in discharge; 24.8–16.9 hours in hospitalization; p < 0.001). The incidence of 72-hour unscheduled return visits was also reduced (4.1–3.5%, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to devastated regions, the impact on the ED patient flow in regions having low COVID-19 prevalence highlights a remodeling process of emergency medical care that would improve overcrowding. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12873-022-00694-6.