Comparison of presentations to the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic (COPED-C).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Concerns have been raised that patients requiring emergency care may not have accessed healthcare services during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown.

Methods

This case control study aimed to understand changes in characteristics and diagnosis of patients attending a large UK Emergency Department (ED) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-May 2020) compared with equivalent weeks in 2019.

Results

We found a 50.7% drop in first attendances to the ED in 2020. Likelihood of attendance and admission decreased for paediatric patients and increased for patients ≥ 46 years, and for men. Likelihood of admission increased for all Black ethnic groups and for patients from the most deprived index of multiple deprivation quintiles. This shift to

SUBMITTER: Kociejowski A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7989347 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature