Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34506521›Full record

ArticlePloS one2021

Preparations of Dutch emergency departments for the COVID-19 pandemic: A questionnaire-based study.

Rory D O'Connor, Dennis G Barten, Gideon H P Latten

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Observational
  3. Healthcare-associated infections in Dutch hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Hospital Staffing during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Sort and Sieve: Pre-Triage Screening of Patients with Suspected COVID-19 in the Emergency Department.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Observational
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Rory D O'ConnorDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7162-4350
Dennis G BartenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, VieCuri Medical Center, Venlo, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7185-9491
Gideon H P LattenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4110-5242
Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis · NLVieCuri Medisch Centrum · NLZuyderland Medisch Centrum · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by rapid increases in Emergency department (ED) patient visits. EDs required an appropriate transformation. The main challenges were: adapting capacity to respond to surges in the number of patient visits, protection of high risk (frontline) staff and the segregation of suspect-COVID-19 patients. To date, only a few studies have assessed the nation-wide response of EDs to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was designed to review the preparations of Dutch EDs during the initial phase of this public health crisis.

methodsThe study was designed as a nation-wide, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study of Dutch hospital organizations having one or more EDs. One respondent completed the questionnaire for each hospital. The questionnaire was conducted between the first and the second COVID-19 wave in the Netherlands. It contained close-ended and open-ended questions on changes in ED infrastructure, ED workforce adaptions and the role of emergency physicians (EPs) in each hospital crisis management team.

resultsThe questionnaire was completed by 58 respondents. This represented 80% of the total number of EDs. All respondents had made preparations in anticipation of a COVID-19 patient surge. Treatment capacity was expanded in 70% of EDs, with a median increase of 49% (IQR 33-73%). Suspect-COVID-19 was segregated from non-COVID-19 patients in 89% of EDs. Alternative locations (such as outpatient departments) were more often used to assess non-COVID-19 patients, than for suspect-COVID-19 patients. Staff was expanded in 82% of EDs. This largely concerned nursing staff. A formal role for Emergency Physicians (EPs) in the hospital's crisis management team was reported by 94% of hospital organizations employing EPs.

conclusionAll Dutch EDs responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in a very short time span despite much uncertainty. Preparations predominantly concerned expansion of treatment capacity and segregation of COVID-19 ED care. EPs played a prominent role, both in direct COVID-19 care and in the hospital crises management team. It is vital for EDs to adapt to community needs swiftly. The ability of EDs to respond to the pandemic varied considerably.

Indexed as

PandemicsCOVID-19Cross-Sectional StudiesEmergency Service, HospitalHumansNetherlandsSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID34506521
PMCPMC8432867
OpenAlexW3198528362

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.