The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on hospital admissions and diagnosis of emergency patients

Aim: To assess the impact of the pandemic on the number and mode of admissions and diagnoses in emergency patients transferred by emergency medical services. Material and methods: Data provided by the National Health Fund on the number and mode of hospital admissions and diagnoses according to Uniform Patient Group sections A C D E F G H J K L M Q S for patients admitted in an emergency after being transferred by emergency medical services between March 1 and December 31, 2020 were assessed. The data were analysed by month and compared with the report for the period of March 1 to December 31, 2019. Results: In the analysed period in 2020, the number of hospital admissions dropped by 79,867 cases (17.90%), including by 72,784 (21.14%) for conservative cases and by 7,083 (6.96%) for invasive cases. The highest number of hospital admissions was recorded in March (41,505, 11.33%), including conservative cases (32,005, 11.79%), and the highest number of surgical admissions was seen in July (10,799, 11.39%). In November, the largest decrease in the number of admissions (28,763, 7,85%), including conservative (21,140, 7.78%) and surgical (7,623, 8.04%) admissions, and the number of ICD-10 diagnoses in sections A, C, E, F, G, H , J, K, L, Q, and in sections D and S was recorded in April. Conclusions: The number of conservative and surgical hospital admissions decreased in the investigated period.