August 3, 2020

Trends in Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Admissions in Health Care Systems in 5 States in the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Geographic Spread

• Jeffery et al. examine daily emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admission rates of 24 EDs in Colorado (n=4), Connecticut (n=5), Massachusetts (n=5), New York (n=5), and North Carolina (n=5) from January 1 to April 30, 2020 and temporal associations with the onset of local COVID-19 case escalations. Compared to the annual ED volume before the COVID-19 pandemic, ED visits decreased, with a range from 42% in Colorado to 64% in New York. However, hospital admission rates from the ED increased, with a range from 22% in North Carolina to 149% in New York. In each setting, hospital admission rates remained stable until COVID-19 cases started increasing locally, at which point admission rates increased as well, suggesting lower ED volume but higher acuity of illness.  

Jeffery et al. (Aug 3, 2020). Trends in Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Admissions in Health Care Systems in 5 States in the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.3288