Abstract
Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency department visits decreased all around the world. This has been linked to reduced access to health care services associated with the pandemic, changes in social life, and individuals avoiding health care facilities to avoid disease contamination. Lack of access to emergency department services for health problems requiring urgent care can lead to complications and outcomes resulting in mortality and disability. The purpose of this study was to examine the postponement of emergency department visits during the pandemic and to explore the reasons for these delays.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the emergency department of a university hospital in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The study population consisted of patients 18 years of age and older. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were given a questionnaire that included a COVID-19 Phobia Scale. The data collection forms were administered by ED physicians through face-to-face interviews.
Results: The research was completed with 352 patients. 27.0% of the participants stated delays in their emergency department visits due to COVID-19 pandemic. The most common reasons for postponing emergency department visits were reluctance to visit a hospital because of the pandemic (46.3%), lack of an individual to accompany the patient (28.4%), and difficulty in finding proper transportation (18.9%). ED visit delays were significantly higher among single patients than married ones and were significantly lower in patients aged 31-55 compared to other patients (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in terms of COVID-19 Phobia Scale scores between patients postponing emergency department visits and those not postponing them (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Around one in three patients postponed their visits to the emergency department (ED) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This delay can be attributed to the "fear of exposure to the disease," which is a direct effect of the pandemic. However, there are also indirect effects, such as concerns over finding transportation and an individual to accompany the patient.
References
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- Arpaci I, Karataş K, Baloğlu M. The development and initial tests for the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). Pers Individ Dif. 2020 Oct 1;164.
- Moroni F, Gramegna M, Ajello S, Beneduce A, Baldetti L, Vilca LM, et al. Collateral Damage: Medical Care Avoidance Behavior Among Patients With Myocardial Infarction During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JACC Case Rep. 2020 Aug;2(10):1620–4.
- Masroor S. Collateral damage of COVID-19 pandemic: Delayed medical care. J Card Surg. 2020 Jun 1;35(6):1345–7.
- O’Brien CM, Jung K, Dang W, Jang HJ, Kielar AZ. Collateral Damage: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Acute Abdominal Emergency Presentations. J Am Coll Radiol. 2020 Nov 1;17(11):1443–9.
- Brick A, Walsh B, Keegan C, Lyons S. COVID-19 and emergency department attendances in Irish public hospitals. 2020 May 22.
- Alvi MM, Sivasankaran S, Singh M. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological efforts at prevention, mitigation, and treatment for COVID-19. J Drug Target. 2020;28(7–8):742–54.
Abstract
References
- Mathieu E, Ritchie H, Rodés-Guirao L, Appel C, Giattino C, Hasell J, et al. Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Our World in Data. 2020 Mar 5;
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) [Internet]. [cited 2023 May 9]. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqYD54PTc7AIV7hJ7Ch1bUQKPEAAYASAAEgJWYvD_BwE.
- Lange SJ, Ritchey MD, Goodman AB, Dias T, Twentyman E, Fuld J, et al. Potential Indirect Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Use of Emergency Departments for Acute Life-Threatening Conditions - United States, January-May 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Jun 26;69(25):795–800.
- Czeisler MÉ, Marynak K, Clarke KEN, Salah Z, Shakya I, Thierry JM, et al. Delay or Avoidance of Medical Care Because of COVID-19-Related Concerns - United States, June 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Sep 11;69(36):1250–7.
- Oseran AS, Nash D, Kim C, Moisuk S, Lai PY, Pyhtila J, et al. Changes in hospital admissions for urgent conditions during COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Manag Care. 2020 Aug 1;26(8):327–8.
- Hartnett KP, Kite-Powell A, DeVies J, Coletta MA, Boehmer TK, Adjemian J, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits — United States, January 1, 2019–May 30, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022 Jun 12;69(23):699–704.
- Kortüm S, Frey P, Becker D, Ott HJ, Schlaudt HP. Corona-Independent Excess Mortality Due to Reduced Use of Emergency Medical Care in the Corona Pandemic: A Population-Based Observational Study. medRxiv. 2020 Oct 28;2020.10.27.20220558.
- Labrague LJ, De Los Santos JAA. Prevalence and predictors of coronaphobia among frontline hospital and public health nurses. Public Health Nurs. 2021 May 1;38(3):382–9.
- Serafini G, Parmigiani B, Amerio A, Aguglia A, Sher L, Amore M. The psychological impact of COVID-19 on the mental health in the general population. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine. 2020 Aug 1;113(8):531.
- De Simone G, Mancusi C. COVID-19: Timing is Important. Eur J Intern Med. 2020 Jul 1;77:134.
- Leow SH, Dean W, MacDonald-Nethercott M, MacDonald-Nethercott E, Boyle AA. The Attend Study: A Retrospective Observational Study of Emergency Department Attendances During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cureus. 2020 Jul 22;12(7).
- Baum A, Schwartz MD. Admissions to Veterans Affairs Hospitals for Emergency Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA. 2020 Jul 7;324(1):96–9.
- Desai SM, Guyette FX, Martin-Gill C, Jadhav AP. Collateral damage – Impact of a pandemic on stroke emergency services. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases. 2020 Aug 1;29(8):104988.
- Ferguson NM, Laydon D, Nedjati-Gilani G, Imai N, Ainslie K, Baguelin M, et al. Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand. Imperial College London. 2020.
- Pessoa-Amorim G, Camm CF, Gajendragadkar P, Maria GL De, Arsac C, Laroche C, et al. Admission of patients with STEMI since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey by the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes. 2020 Jul 1;6(3):210–6.
- Arpaci I, Karataş K, Baloğlu M. The development and initial tests for the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). Pers Individ Dif. 2020 Oct 1;164.
- Moroni F, Gramegna M, Ajello S, Beneduce A, Baldetti L, Vilca LM, et al. Collateral Damage: Medical Care Avoidance Behavior Among Patients With Myocardial Infarction During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JACC Case Rep. 2020 Aug;2(10):1620–4.
- Masroor S. Collateral damage of COVID-19 pandemic: Delayed medical care. J Card Surg. 2020 Jun 1;35(6):1345–7.
- O’Brien CM, Jung K, Dang W, Jang HJ, Kielar AZ. Collateral Damage: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Acute Abdominal Emergency Presentations. J Am Coll Radiol. 2020 Nov 1;17(11):1443–9.
- Brick A, Walsh B, Keegan C, Lyons S. COVID-19 and emergency department attendances in Irish public hospitals. 2020 May 22.
- Alvi MM, Sivasankaran S, Singh M. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological efforts at prevention, mitigation, and treatment for COVID-19. J Drug Target. 2020;28(7–8):742–54.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Health Care Administration |
| Journal Section | Research articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | August 31, 2023 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2023 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 |
e-ISSN 2149-7796