The impact of Coronavirus disease 19 on emergency volume in Northern Taiwan

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has changed the way communities and groups use the emergency department (ED). The purpose of this study is to evaluate changes in ED volume for different triage categories in three tertiary Chang Gung Memorial Hospital branches in Northern Taiwan before and after the spread of COVID-19. A decline of ED volume of about 20 to 25 percent was observed for all three branches during the study period. Statistically significant decline in total ED volume in all triage categories across the three branches was observed except triage category 1 for Keelung and triage category 5 for Linko. These exceptions were most likely due to the geographical location and proximity to other hospitals. The trends observed in this study regarding ED use during the COVID-19 pandemic period could better prepare resource management in hospitals, allocate medical staff, and may guide future pandemic planning.

Taiwan; COVID-19; Emergency volume; Retrospective study

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