Reduction in Pediatric Surgery’s Emergency Department Visits During COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary University General Hospital in Greece

Abstract

Background From January 2020, coronavirus has caused more than three million deaths. Lockdown has been enforced in many countries worldwide, affecting the emergency department visits of many surgical specialties. Methods The purpose of this study was to present the difference in trends in pediatric emergency department visits from March 1 to May 30, 2020, compared to the same 3-month period in 2019 in a tertiary university hospital in Greece, which was one of the referral centers for COVID-19 patients. Results A 42.5% reduction in emergency department visits was observed. In 2020, only 196 patients visited the pediatric surgery emergency department, versus 341 patients in 2019 (p<0.05). The reasons for visiting the emergency department did not change in most categories. Even though visits to the emergency department were reduced, the rates of the distance of the patient’s residency from the hospital remained roughly the same. Hospital admission rates remained roughly the same. Conclusion Even though there was a huge decrease in numbers, the reasons for visiting the ED remained roughly the same. The only exception was indoor accidents, which increased in 2020.