TITLE:
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Sydney Metropolitan Hospital Emergency Department
AUTHORS:
Joshua Scott-King, Lisa Hodder, Catherine Thomas, Jason Diab, Lai Heng Foong, Christophe R. Berney, Matthew Smith
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Pandemics, Length of Stay, Emergency, New South Wales
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Emergency Medicine,
Vol.10 No.4,
December
7,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: The impact of the COVID-19
has resulted in a decrease in presentations in emergency departments (ED). This has
been influenced by societal restrictions, lockdowns and access to services.
This study aims to observe the patterns in
ED presentations for Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital over the course of the
initial COVID-19 pandemic wave. Methods: A retrospective review of all presentations to Bankstown-Lidcombe
Hospital ED was conducted comparing monthly patient encounters from
February-August for 2017-2020. Results: The total number of ED
presentations was 42,225. There was a statistically
significant reduction during 2020 of 9.8% between the study periods
(1546 vs 1395, p = 0.014). The period of greatest reduction was seen in
March-May, the strictest lockdown period for New South Wales. The admitting
disciplines that showed a reduction in this time were colorectal (76.62%, p = 0.046),
emergency (25.53%, p = 0.025), endocrine (31.82%, p = 0.026), orthopaedics
(33.63%, p = 0.004), and vascular (35.71%, p = 0.017). The disciplines that
showed an increase in presentations over the entire studied time were
gynaecology (26.54%, p = 0.008), and psychiatry (17.46%, p = 0.011). Conclusion: There were significant reductions in total number of ED presentations.
Notably, there were significant reductions across multiple admitting
disciplines, as well as in a decrease in presentations for those in younger age
groups.