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J Public Health (Oxf)
. 2021 Jun 22;fdab212.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdab212. Online ahead of print.
Public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emergency healthcare system
G Stirparo 1 2 , A Oradini-Alacreu 1 , M Migliori 2 , G F Villa 2 , M Botteri 2 3 , N Fagoni 3 4 , C Signorelli 1 , G M Sechi 2 , A Zoli 2
Affiliations
- PMID: 34156071
- DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdab212
Abstract
Background: The Lombardy region has been the Italian region most affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. The emergency healthcare system was under deep stress throughout the past year due to the admission of COVID-19 patients to the emergency department (ED) and had to be thoroughly reorganized.
Methods: We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis of patients admitted into the ED recorded in the Lombardy online regional portal called EUOL (Emergenza e Urgenza OnLine). We compared the data registered in the EUOL with the patients admitted to the EDs from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019 and from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.
Results: The number of admissions to the ED decreased by 32.5% in 2020 compared with 2019, reaching the lowest number in March and April. However, the percentage of patients hospitalized after ED significantly increased in 2020 compared with 2019 (P < 0.0001), reflecting the management of patients with a more severe clinical condition. More patients arrived at the ED by ambulance in 2020 (21.7% in 2020 versus 15.1% in 2019; P < 0.0001), particularly during March and April.
Conclusions: This analysis showed the importance of monitoring the pandemic's evolution in order to treat more critically ill patients, despite a lower number of patients.
Keywords: emergency care; health services; public health.