Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38288431›Full record

Observational studyFrontiers in public health2023

Demand for emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic and disease burden: a case study in Portugal.

Alcina Nunes, Catarina Costa, João P Martins, Pedro L Ferreira, Rui Pimenta

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

5 authors.

Alcina NunesUNIAG, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.
Catarina CostaCentro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, EPE, Porto, Portugal.
João P MartinsEscola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal.
Pedro L FerreiraFaculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Rui PimentaEscola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes in the pattern of care use. A significant increase in the volume of emergencies was expected. However, a significant decrease was observed worldwide. Methods: An observational, analytical and cross-sectional study of all records of emergency episodes of patients aged 18 years or older admitted to the emergency services of the University of Porto Hospital Centre (2018-2022) were analysed. Results: During the pandemic, a significant reduction in emergency episode admissions (up to 40% during lockdowns), an increase in pre-emergency services, and discharges from Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine was observed. The discharges from General Practice and General Practice and Family Medicine were residual. Conclusion: The lower use and type of use of emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the disease burden. This could be prevented in future pandemics through the development of strategies to promote confidence in the use of health resources and establishing contingency plans for virtual assistance.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdolescentAdultCommunicable Disease ControlCost of IllnessCross-Sectional StudiesHumansPandemicsPortugalSARS-CoV-2disease burdenemergency servicepandemic (COVID-19)panel (longitudinal) data analysisuser profile

Identifiers

PMID38288431
PMCPMC10822959

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.