Between the first and second wave of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): Presentation and crowding of attenders for mentale disorder and intossication/substance abuse

ABSTRACT

IntroductionDuring the 1st wave of CoViD-19 pandemic there was a drastic reduction in total number of accesses, with more serious cases and a exorbitant increase in crowding, due to access block.Objectivesevaluate population who went to ED for (1) mental disorders requesting a psychiatric visit and for (2) intossication and substance abuse, between the first and second wave of the coronavirus pandemicMethodsWe enrolled all patients who went at our ED from May 1 to October 20, 2020 and during the same period of 2019. We analized vital parameters, age, sex, exit severity codes, hospitalization rate, Crowding input factors (number of access, waiting time, priority time to doc), Crowding throughput factors (LOS Length Of ED Stay), Crowding output factors (percentage of access block;Total Access Block Time).ResultsThe results are shown in table 1Table 1Mental-disorderintossication/substance-abuseMay1-October 20,2020May1- October 20,2019May1-October 20,2020May1- October 20, 2019number of ED access543564182254higher (yellow and red) priority time to doc (%)28%29%50%39%worse exit severity codes (%)10%6%16%11%rate of hospitalization (%)26%20%16%9%average waiting times (min)60647679LOS lenght of stay (min)369326629506access block (%)3%2%5%4%Total Access Block Time examination rooms (min)11.5388.3848.0598.889Total Access Block Time holding area (min)8.3823.963182254ConclusionsWe would like to thank all employees of the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation for their extraordinary efforts during the pandemic.