ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To perform a systematic review of otolaryngologic presentation rates to emergency department settings before and after lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SOURCES: PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) for studies describing otolaryngologic presentations to emergency department and rapid access clinic settings both in the before-lockdown and after-lockdown periods. The start of after-lockdown period varied based on initiation of lockdown, ranging from March 1st to June 1st of 2020 across general emergency department studies. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies were included in this review. About 10 were general emergency departments, 3 were specifically pediatric emergency departments, and 1 study focused on the geriatric population (>65 years). A total of 13 790 patients were included, with 9446 in the before-lockdown period (68.5%) and 4344 in the after-lockdown period (31.5%). Meta-analysis of proportions for otolaryngologic presentations across general emergency departments was performed. Comparison of weighted proportions found significant differences between before-lockdown and after-lockdown presentation rates for infectious etiologies, tonsillitis specifically, foreign bodies, non-infectious airway issues, and epistaxis among these studies. CONCLUSIONS: The increased proportions of various non-infectious presentations (eg, epistaxis, foreign bodies, and airway issues) following lockdown might be associated with proportional decreases in infectious pathologies, given decreased social contact to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Overall, it is important for otolaryngologists to recognize what presentations might more commonly be seen and require evaluation and potential intervention in light of a global pandemic.
ABSTRACT
This work explores the extent to which the death of George Floyd in May of 2020 and the COVID-19 crisis affected criminal justice students’ perceptions of career commitment and motivations toward public service. A survey was administered to a cohort of criminal justice majors at one Michigan university who were between their junior and senior years, once in the spring semester of 2020, before Floyd’s death and the civil unrest that followed, and again at the end of the 2020 summer semester. The results suggest that career commitment remained unchanged between the two time points, as did the students’ COVID-related attitudes. Contrary to expectations, public service motivation increased (rather than decreased), and this change was significant. The results are more encouraging than might be expected in such a tumultuous time of history, and they may help inform educators about how students view such turmoil relative to their career choice.