Author(s)

Joshua Scott-King^1,2, Lisa Hodder^1,3,4, Catherine Thomas^1,2, Jason Diab^1,2,5*, Lai Heng Foong^1,2, Christophe R. Berney^1,2, Matthew Smith^1,2

¹Bankstown Lidcombe Hospital, Bankstown, NSW, Australia.
²School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
³School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁴Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
⁵School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia.

Introduction: The impact of the COVID-19 has resulted in a decrease in presentations in emergency departments (ED). This has been influenced by societal restrictions, lockdowns and access to services. This study aims to observe the patterns in ED presentations for Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital over the course of the initial COVID-19 pandemic wave. Methods: A retrospective review of all presentations to Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital ED was conducted comparing monthly patient encounters from February-August for 2017-2020. Results: The total number of ED presentations was 42,225. There was a statistically significant reduction during 2020 of 9.8% between the study periods (1546 vs 1395, p = 0.014). The period of greatest reduction was seen in March-May, the strictest lockdown period for New South Wales. The admitting disciplines that showed a reduction in this time were colorectal (76.62%, p = 0.046), emergency (25.53%, p = 0.025), endocrine (31.82%, p = 0.026), orthopaedics (33.63%, p = 0.004), and vascular (35.71%, p = 0.017). The disciplines that showed an increase in presentations over the entire studied time were gynaecology (26.54%, p = 0.008), and psychiatry (17.46%, p = 0.011). Conclusion: There were significant reductions in total number of ED presentations. Notably, there were significant reductions across multiple admitting disciplines, as well as in a decrease in presentations for those in younger age groups.

COVID-19, Pandemics, Length of Stay, Emergency, New South Wales

Scott-King, J. , Hodder, L. , Thomas, C. , Diab, J. , Foong, L. , R. Berney, C. and Smith, M. (2022) The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Sydney Metropolitan Hospital Emergency Department. Open Journal of Emergency Medicine, 10, 183-193. doi: 10.4236/ojem.2022.104017.