Cross-sectional analysis of avoidable emergency department visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

COVID-19 had a significant impact on Emergency Departments (ED) with early data suggesting an initial decline in avoidable ED visits. However, the sustained impact over time is unclear. In this study, we analyzed ED discharges over a two-year time period after the COVID-19 pandemic began and compared it with a control time period pre-pandemic to evaluate the difference in ED visit categories, including total, avoidable, and unavoidable visits.

Methods

This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study assessing the distribution of visits with ED discharges from two hospitals within a health system over a three-year time period (1/1/2019-12/31/2021). Visits were categorized using the expanded NYU-EDA algorithm modified to include COVID-19-related visits. Categories in

SUBMITTER: Gottlieb M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9883066 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature