J Yeungnam Med Sci.  2022 Jan;39(1):31-38. 10.12701/yujm.2021.01130.

Impact of an emergency department resident strike during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Daegu, South Korea: a retrospective cross-sectional study

• Cho YH
• Cho JW
• Ryoo HW
• Moon S
• Kim JH
• Lee SH
• Jang TC
• Lee DE

• KMID: 2525025
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2021.01130

Abstract

Background
To prepare for future work stoppages in the medical industry, this study aimed to identify the effects of healthcare worker strikes on the mortality rate of patients visiting the emergency department (ED) at six training hospitals in Daegu, Korea.
Methods
We used a retrospective, cross-sectional, multicenter design to analyze the medical records of patients who visited six training hospitals in Daegu (August 21–September 8, 2020). For comparison, control period 1 was set as the same period in the previous year (August 21–September 8, 2019) and control period 2 was set as July 1–19, 2020. Patient characteristics including age, sex, and time of ED visit were investigated along with mode of arrival, length of ED stay, and in-hospital mortality. The experimental and control groups were compared using t-tests, and Mann-Whitney U-test, chi-square test, and Fisher exact tests, as appropriate. Univariate logistic regression was performed to identify significant factors, followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.
Results
During the study period, 31,357 patients visited the ED, of which 7,749 belonged to the experimental group. Control periods 1 and 2 included 13,100 and 10,243 patients, respectively. No significant in-hospital mortality differences were found between study periods; however, the results showed statistically significant differences in the length of ED stay.
Conclusion
The ED resident strike did not influence the mortality rate of patients who visited the EDs of six training hospitals in Daegu. Furthermore, the number of patients admitted and the length of ED stay decreased during the strike period.

Keyword

COVID-19; Emergency medical services; Employee; Hospitals; Hospital mortality; Employee strikes

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Flow chart of enrolled patients. CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation; DOA, dead on arrival.

Reference

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