Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency department utilization trends: a three-year analysis

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea
³Department of Emergency Medicine, Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Korea
⁴Department of Emergency Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Asan, Korea

Correspondence

Hyung Jun Moon ,Tel: 041-570-2299, Fax: 041-570-3851, Email: raintree@schmc.ac.kr,

Received: September 22, 2023; Revised: October 25, 2023 Accepted: October 31, 2023. Published online: December 30, 2024.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
This study was conducted to examine the trends in patient visits to the emergency departments (EDs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and analyze the changes in the pattern of ED utilization over time.
Method:
We analyzed the National Emergency Department Information System data on ED visits for 3 years, from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020.
Results:
A total of 25,260,790 patients visited the ED during the study period. There was a notable 23.3% decrease in visits in 2020 during the pandemic compared to the preceding year. The number of patients visiting the ED appeared to decrease in response to the increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases. In 2020, a total of 13,801 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the ED, accounting for 22.7% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, ED visitors presenting with respiratory symptoms as their chief complaint numbered 1,438,137 (15.5%), 1,605,551 (17.7%), and 1,019,314 (14.7%), respectively. The length of stay of these patients increased at the regional and local emergency centers. However, a reverse trend was observed at local emergency medical agencies.
Conclusion:
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, patient visits to the ED decreased, irrespective of patient’s health status. The concentration of emergency and isolation-requiring patients at regional emergency medical centers and local emergency medical centers led to an increase in the length of stay. Further analysis and research are needed to assess the role of the local emergency medical agencies in the response to infectious diseases in the future.

Key words: Triage; COVID-19; Hospital emergency service