ArticleThe western journal of emergency medicine2025
Trends in Proportion of Delirium Among Older Emergency Department Patients in South Korea, 2017-2022.
Article in The western journal of emergency medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
introductionDelirium is a critical neuropsychiatric condition that surged among older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, likely due to social isolation resulting from distancing measures. In this study we examined trends in delirium-related emergency department (ED) visits before and during the pandemic using nationwide data from South Korea, with a focus on different phases of social distancing, to inform healthcare strategies for older adults during public health crises.
methodsWe obtained data from the National Emergency Department Information System (2017-2022). Changes in ED visits were assessed across pre-pandemic (January 2017-January 2020), early pandemic (February 2020-March 2022), and late pandemic (April 2022-December 2022) phases using interrupted time series analysis.
resultsA total of 80,442 delirium-related ED visits among adults ≥ 65 years of age were recorded. The interrupted time series analysis showed a significant step increase in ED visits during the early pandemic phase (relative risk [RR] 1.290, 95% CI 1.201-1.386; 29.0% increase), followed by a decrease in the late pandemic phase (RR 0.922, 95% CI 0.868-0.981; 7.8% decrease). The most substantial increase was for individuals 65-74 year of age during the early pandemic period (RR 1.406, 95% CI 1.264-1.564) reflecting a 40.6% increase in visits to the ED. Indirect ED visits, such as institutional referrals, also notably increased (RR 1.275, 95% CI 1.184-1.373) reflecting a 27.5% increase.
conclusionDelirium-related ED visits among older adults showed a notable 7.8% decrease during the late pandemic period, with key risk groups identified, particularly adults 65-74 of age (40.6% increase) and those referred from institutions (27.5% increase) during the early pandemic period. These findings may help inform targeted interventions and public health responses in similar healthcare settings. Despite limitations including reliance on diagnostic codes, lack of subgroup analysis by COVID-19 status, potential duplicate visit counts, and limited regional granularity this study offers important insight into delirium care needs during crisis periods. Further research should further explore causal mechanisms and the specific impact of COVID-19 infection on delirium incidence.
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