ArticleBMC emergency medicine2022
The impact of COVID-19 on an Irish Emergency Department (ED): a cross-sectional study exploring the factors influencing ED utilisation prior to and during the pandemic from the patient perspective.
Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Emergency department crowding in the modern era: a systematic review (2018-2025).Clinical and experimental emergency medicine · 2026Pooled it
- A Physiotherapy-Led Transition to Home Intervention for Older Adults Following Emergency Department Discharge: A Pilot Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial (ED PLUS).Clinical interventions in aging · 2023Trial
- A comparison of patient self-referrals and general practitioner referrals to the emergency department in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic: secondary data analysis of the "Better Data, Better Planning" study.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Physiology-driven reversible dynamic synthetic tissue model for responsive moulage in infected wound training.PloS one · 2026Article
- Association Between State Opioid Prescribing Policies and the COVID-19 Pandemic and Hospital and Emergency Department Discharge Opioid Prescription in Injured Patients.Trauma surgery & acute care open · 2026Article
- Emergency department visits and disease patterns during and after the COVID-19 lockdown.PloS one · 2026Observational
- Why do patients seek emergency care for problems that could be managed in primary care? A scoping review.Family practice · 2025Article
- A frailty census of older adults in the emergency department and acute inpatient settings of a model 4 hospital in the Mid-West of Ireland.Irish journal of medical science · 2024Article
- Acute care pathway assessed through performance indicators during the COVID-19 pandemic in OECD countries (2020-2021): a scoping review.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Article
- The Impact of Patient Infection Rate on Emergency Department Patient Flow: Hybrid Simulation Study in a Norwegian Case.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe collateral damage of SARS-CoV-2 is a serious concern in the Emergency Medicine (EM) community, specifically in relation to delayed care increasing morbidity and mortality in attendances unrelated to COVID-19. The objectives of this study are to describe the profile of patients attending an Irish ED prior to, and during the pandemic, and to investigate the factors influencing ED utilisation in this cohort.
methodsThis was a cross-sectional study with recruitment at three time-points prior to the onset of COVID-19 in December 2019 (n = 47) and February 2020 (n = 57) and post-Lockdown 1 in July 2020 (n = 70). At each time-point all adults presenting over a 24 h period were eligible for inclusion. Clinical data were collected via electronic records and a questionnaire provided information on demographics, healthcare utilisation, service awareness and factors influencing the decision to attend the ED. Data analysis was performed in SPSS and included descriptive and inferential statistics.
resultsThe demographic and clinical profile of patients across time-points was comparable in terms of age (p = 0.904), gender (p = 0.584) and presenting complaint (p = 0.556). Median length of stay in the ED decreased from 7.25 h (IQR 4.18-11.22) in February to 3.86 h (IQR 0.41-9.14) in July (p ≤ 0.005) and differences were observed in disposition (p ≤ 0.001). COVID-19 influenced decision to attend the ED for 31% of patients with 9% delaying presentation. Post-lockdown, patients were less likely to attend the ED for reassurance (p ≤ 0.005), for a second opinion (p ≤ 0.005) or to see a specialist (p ≤ 0.05).
conclusionsDemographic and clinical presentations of ED patients prior to the first COVID-19 lockdown and during the reopening phase were comparable, however, COVID-19 significantly impacted health-seeking behaviour and operational metrics in the ED at this phase of the pandemic. These findings provide useful information for hospitals with regard to pandemic preparedness and also have wider implications for planning of future health service delivery.
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