Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on Emergency Department Presentations in an Integrated Health System.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To quantify the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic on emergency department volumes and patient presentations and evaluate changes in community mortality for the purpose of characterizing new patterns of emergency care use.

Patients and methods

This is an observational cross-sectional study using electronic health records for emergency department visits in an integrated multihospital system with academic and community practices across 4 states for visits between March 17 and April 21, 2019, and February 9 and April 21, 2020. We compared numbers and proportions of common and critical chief symptoms and diagnoses, triage assessments, throughput, disposition, and selected hospital lengths of stay and out-of-hospital deaths.

Result

SUBMITTER: Walker LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7501771 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature