ArticlePloS one2024
Association between stringency of lockdown measures and emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Dutch multicentre study.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Characteristics and temporal trends of mobility scooter accidents in the Netherlands: a multicenter cohort study.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2026Article
- COVID-19 and Emergency Department Visits: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Ontario and Alberta, Canada.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Emergency department visits and disease patterns during and after the COVID-19 lockdown.PloS one · 2026Observational
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pattern of acute appendicitis, a single-center study.Frontiers in surgery · 2026Article
- Changes in the Presentation and Severity of Acute Appendicitis: A Comparison of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Eras.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe COVID-19 outbreak disrupted regular health care, including the Emergency Department (ED), and resulted in insufficient ICU capacity. Lockdown measures were taken to prevent disease spread and hospital overcrowding. Little is known about the relationship of stringency of lockdown measures on ED utilization.
objectiveThis study aimed to compare the frequency and characteristics of ED visits during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 to 2019, and their relation to stringency of lockdown measures. MATERIAL AND
methodsA retrospective multicentre study among five Dutch hospitals was performed. The primary outcome was the absolute number of ED visits (year 2018 and 2019 compared to 2020). Secondary outcomes were age, sex, triage category, way of transportation, referral, disposition, and treating medical specialty. The relation between stringency of lockdown measures, measured with the Oxford Stringency Index (OSI) and number and characteristics of ED visits was analysed.
resultsThe total number of ED visits in the five hospitals in 2019 was 165,894, whereas the total number of visits in 2020 was 135,762, which was a decrease of 18.2% (range per hospital: 10.5%-30.7%). The reduction in ED visits was greater during periods of high stringency lockdown measures, as indicated by OSI.
conclusionThe number of ED visits in the Netherlands has significantly dropped during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a clear association between decreasing ED visits and increasing lockdown measures. The OSI could be used as an indicator in the management of ED visits during a future pandemic.
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