Emergency department adult presentations from the COVID-19 hotel quarantine program in Victoria, Australia: A retrospective cohort study of admissions and presenting complaints.

Abstract

ObjectiveThe present study aims to describe presentations to the designated ED from the Victorian COVID‐19 hotel quarantine program.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted between 7 December 2020 and 6 June 2021 at The Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre, a major adult quaternary referral teaching hospital. Participants included adult patients (>18 years old) who were quarantining as part of Victoria's COVID‐19 quarantine program. The primary outcome was discharge destination from the ED (admission to hospital vs discharge from ED).ResultsNotably, 164 patients presented to The Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre during the study period. The mean (SD) age was 50.9, with most patients being male (n = 96 [58.5%]). Most patients were referred from a quarantine hotel (n = 83 [50%]). Thirty‐four percent (n = 56) of ED presentations were admitted to hospital (31.5% to a ward, 2.5% to intensive care unit). Forty‐six percent (n = 75) were discharged to the complex care hotel to be looked after by Alfred Health, with only 16% (n = 26) being discharged to a standard quarantine hotel. The most common presenting complaint categories were: cardiovascular (n = 33 [20%]), miscellaneous (n = 25 [25%]), gastrointestinal (n = 19 [11.5%]) and mental health (n = 18 [11%]).ConclusionThe study demonstrates that the number of ED presentations from quarantine was low (<1 presentation/day). COVID Quarantine Victoria and Alfred Health put significant resources into the program to allow most returned international travellers to be safely cared for within a hotel and thus reduce the burden on the public hospital system.