J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2023 Dec;34(6):527-539.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency care utilization in patients with major emergency diseases in Chungnam Province

• Choi IK
• Roh EH
• Choi HJ

Abstract

Objective
This study analyzed the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on emergency care utilization in Chungnam Province by examining the status of emergency care utilization during this period.
Methods
This study retrospectively analyzed 154,946 patients who visited emergency medical institutions in Chungnam Province for a major emergency between January 2015 and December 2021, using the National Emergency Department Information System data.
Results
The incidence of the The three major emergency diseases are acute myocardial infarction (AMI), acute stroke, severe trauma decreased. Primary visits to the regional and local emergency medical centers increased, except for local emergency medical institutions. The utilization rate of the 119 ambulance service in 2020 decreased significantly for AMI compared to the previous year and was the lowest among the three major emergency diseases. Air transportation by helicopter decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of emergency room arrivals within the golden hour decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The transfer and retransfer rates also decreased for all three major emergency diseases. Despite the decreased number of patients during the pandemic, the ratio of primary visits to the local emergency medical centers for the three major emergency diseases increased, and the lengths of stay in the emergency room increased.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the occurrence, transportation, and therapeutic response to the three major emergency diseases in Chungnam Province. The vulnerability of patients with AMI in the pre-pandemic era was further exacerbated during the pandemic.

Keyword

Myocardial infarction; Stroke; Multiple trauma; Emergency medical services; Patient transfers; COVID-19