Trends in Emergency Department Visits, and Hospital Admissions Pre- and During Covid 19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic period, the unnecessary use of the emergency department (ED) affects the motivation of health care providers leading the healthcare services to be far from being efficient, delays the care of the patients having an actual emergency situation and reduces the quality of education in teaching clinics. 
 Methods: Diagnoses in the visits were classified based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) categories and were analyzed into subgroups based on common reasons for ED visits. 
 Results: While the number of ED visits in the first year of the pandemic period decreased by 26% compared to the previous year, the frequency of admissions in the circulatory system (CS), stomach and intestinal system (SIS), nervous system (NS), trauma (T), infectious disease (ID), endocrine system (ES), muscular system and connective tissues (MCT), gynecology and pregnancy (GP), environmental emergency (EE), mental and behavioral disorders (MBD), examination and encounter for administrative purposes (EEAP) was higher than expected and the frequency of admission and referral was also significantly more than the expected value (P < 0.001). 
 Conclusion: In addition to the significant decrease in the number of ED visits during the pandemic, the fact that higher admission and referral frequency were observed indicating that the patients visited the emergency service in the late phases with severe clinical conditions. 
 
 
 Key Words: COVID-19 pandemic, Emergency Departments, ICD Codes, Patient Admission, Outpatients,