Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in Korea
<i>Background and Objectives</i>: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a global public health crisis that has had a serious impact on emergency department (ED) utilization trends. The aim of this study was to investigate the collateral effects of the COVID-...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Medicina |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/1/90 |
| _version_ | 1797438931956924416 |
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| author | Yeon-Joo Cho In-Hwan Yeo Dong-Eun Lee Jong-Kun Kim Yun-Jeong Kim Chang-Ho Kim Jae-Young Choe Jung-Bae Park Kang-Suk Seo Byung-Hyuk Yu Won-Kee Lee |
| author_facet | Yeon-Joo Cho In-Hwan Yeo Dong-Eun Lee Jong-Kun Kim Yun-Jeong Kim Chang-Ho Kim Jae-Young Choe Jung-Bae Park Kang-Suk Seo Byung-Hyuk Yu Won-Kee Lee |
| author_sort | Yeon-Joo Cho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background and Objectives</i>: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a global public health crisis that has had a serious impact on emergency department (ED) utilization trends. The aim of this study was to investigate the collateral effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ED utilization trends by patients with mild and severe conditions as well as on 7-day fatality rates. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: We analyzed entries in the Korean National Health Insurance claims database between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020. Six target patient groups were identified using the main diagnosis codes in the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Numbers of patients visiting the ED, their age, regional differences, 7-day fatality rate, and rate of emergency procedures were compared between 2018 and 2019 as the control period and 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force. <i>Results</i>: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients who visited the ED with low-acuity diseases and severe acute respiratory infection diseases sharply decreased to −46.22% and −56.05%, respectively. However, the 7-day fatality rate after ED visits for low-acuity diseases and severe acute respiratory infection diseases increased to 0.04% (<i>p</i> < 0.01), and 1.65% (<i>p</i> < 0.01), respectively, in 2020 compared to that in the control period. <i>Conclusions</i>: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, ED utilization impacted and 7-day fatality rate after ED visit increased. Health authorities and health care providers must strive to ensure prompt delivery of optimal care in EDs for patients with severe or serious symptoms and time-dependent diseases, even during the ongoing COVID-19 or potential future pandemics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:45:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-574476222ccd404ea90a546988077ea3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1010-660X 1648-9144 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:45:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicina |
| spelling | doaj.art-574476222ccd404ea90a546988077ea32023-11-30T23:24:13ZengMDPI AGMedicina1010-660X1648-91442022-12-015919010.3390/medicina59010090Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in KoreaYeon-Joo Cho0In-Hwan Yeo1Dong-Eun Lee2Jong-Kun Kim3Yun-Jeong Kim4Chang-Ho Kim5Jae-Young Choe6Jung-Bae Park7Kang-Suk Seo8Byung-Hyuk Yu9Won-Kee Lee10Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of KoreaIntensive Care Unit, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41404, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea<i>Background and Objectives</i>: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a global public health crisis that has had a serious impact on emergency department (ED) utilization trends. The aim of this study was to investigate the collateral effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ED utilization trends by patients with mild and severe conditions as well as on 7-day fatality rates. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: We analyzed entries in the Korean National Health Insurance claims database between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020. Six target patient groups were identified using the main diagnosis codes in the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Numbers of patients visiting the ED, their age, regional differences, 7-day fatality rate, and rate of emergency procedures were compared between 2018 and 2019 as the control period and 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force. <i>Results</i>: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients who visited the ED with low-acuity diseases and severe acute respiratory infection diseases sharply decreased to −46.22% and −56.05%, respectively. However, the 7-day fatality rate after ED visits for low-acuity diseases and severe acute respiratory infection diseases increased to 0.04% (<i>p</i> < 0.01), and 1.65% (<i>p</i> < 0.01), respectively, in 2020 compared to that in the control period. <i>Conclusions</i>: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, ED utilization impacted and 7-day fatality rate after ED visit increased. Health authorities and health care providers must strive to ensure prompt delivery of optimal care in EDs for patients with severe or serious symptoms and time-dependent diseases, even during the ongoing COVID-19 or potential future pandemics.https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/1/90COVID-19 pandemicemergency departmentfacility utilizationcase fatality rate |
| spellingShingle | Yeon-Joo Cho In-Hwan Yeo Dong-Eun Lee Jong-Kun Kim Yun-Jeong Kim Chang-Ho Kim Jae-Young Choe Jung-Bae Park Kang-Suk Seo Byung-Hyuk Yu Won-Kee Lee Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in Korea Medicina COVID-19 pandemic emergency department facility utilization case fatality rate |
| title | Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in Korea |
| title_full | Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in Korea |
| title_fullStr | Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in Korea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in Korea |
| title_short | Collateral Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits in Korea |
| title_sort | collateral effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on emergency department visits in korea |
| topic | COVID-19 pandemic emergency department facility utilization case fatality rate |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/1/90 |
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