ABSTRACT
Objective: The rapidly increasing cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Turkey required the reorganization of the health system. The first response to the pandemic in our university hospital was to stop elective surgery on March 30, 2020, minimize outpatient consultations and reduce the number of patients in the wards. To determine the change in the number of patients admitted to our hospital, we examined the data during the pandemic process and compared them with the data of the previous year. Methods: The number of patients admitted to Pamukkale University Orthopedics and Traumatology Outpatient CI inic and Emergency Service for orthopedic and trauma injuries between March 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020 was documented and compared with the data of the same period in 2019. Results: During the pandemic period, the number of emergency and outpatient orthopedics and traumatology admissions decreased significantly by 15% and 42.93% respectively (p<0.001). The highest decrease in outpatient admissions was in April 2020 with 79.29%, and the highest decrease in emergency admissions was in March 2020 with 31.35%. Conclusion: In conclusion, due to fear of getting infected, curfews, and decreased human mobility, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of hospital admissions between March 1, 2020, and October 31, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare in many ways, putting some healthcare systems under great pressure and pushing others beyond their capacity New strategies can be determined to ensure the continuity of health services and to maximize resources.
ABSTRACT
Objective: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been a significant decrease in outpatient visits and hospital admissions. The increased risk of transmission, especially in environments with high contamination such as hospitals, may increase fear, obsession, and anxiety in patients. This study aims to investigate the factors affecting fear, obsession, and anxiety associated with COVID-19 in patients who are admitted to university hospital outpatient clinics. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted from January 2021 to February 2021 at Pamukkale University Hospitals outpatient clinics. Demographic information (age, education, sex, marital status, house sharing, employment, and work schedule) and questions related to COVID-19 (visiting a doctor regularly before the pandemic, positive test results, isolation due to contact, losing a friend/family member because of the disease, and delay/avoidance of medical care because of COVID-19-related concerns) were questioned. Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Obsession with COVID-19 Scale, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, and Short Form-12 were filled. Results: A total of 535 patients (291 females and 244 males;mean age, 45.59 +/- 16.08 years) participated. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale score was 16.74 +/- 6.60, that of Obsession with COVID-19 Scale was 2.22 +/- 2.74, and that of Coronavirus Anxiety Scale was 0.77 +/- 2.32. Female sex, working from home or flexibly, admission to internal medical sciences, and losing a loved one due to the disease increased COVID-19 fear, obsession, and anxiety (p<0.001). Fear, obsession, and anxiety associated with COVID-19 have negatively affected SF-12 physical and mental scores (p<0.001). Conclusion: The present study suggested that to ensure that treatments can be continued uninterruptedly in patient groups who are at risk in terms of increasing COVID-19 fear, obsession, and anxiety, remote health consultations can be performed.