How the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed the patterns of healthcare utilization by geriatric patients and the crowding: a call to action for effective solutions to the access block.

ABSTRACT: The geriatric population constitutes a large slice of the population of Western countries and a class of fragile patients, with greater deaths due to COVID-19. The patterns of healthcare utilization change during pandemic disease outbreaks. Identifying the patterns of changes of this particular fragile subpopulation is important for future preparedness and response. Overcrowding in the emergency department (ED) can occur because of the volume of patients waiting to be seen, delays in patient assessment or treatment in the ED, or impediments to leaving the ED once the treatment has been completed. Overcrowding has become a serious and growing issue globally, which represents a serious impediment to healthcare utilization. To estimate the rate of ED visits attributable to the outbreak and gu

SUBMITTER: Savioli G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8188157 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature