Trends in Inpatient Dermatology and The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic at A Tertiary Care Facility in Western India

Abstract

Background: Little is known regarding the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the characteristics of dermatology admissions, particularly in the Indian context. Objectives: To conduct a retrospective analysis of the discharge records of all patients admitted to a tertiary care centre in Western India from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2022. Methods: Patient records were reviewed and compiled. Diagnoses were grouped to achieve consistency with international studies. Finally, the effect of COVID on admissions was determined. Data samples were assessed using descriptive statistics. Continuous variables were expressed as median or mean. The student’s t-test and chi-square test were utilised to investigate wherever appropriate. Results: Inpatient care was required for 1,817 patients. Males (1000, 55.04%) were significantly more likely to be admitted than females (817, 44.96%). The leading causes of hospitalisation were bacterial infections (26.42%), vesiculobullous disorders (17.45%), and psoriasiform disorders (11.34%). The greatest number of admissions occurred in 2019, followed by a substantial decline in 2020. Admission rates for vesiculobullous disorders, psoriasiform disorders, and malignancies were significantly higher during the pandemic period. Conclusions: Our study offers an analysis of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the patient profiles of patients admitted to a dermatology ward.