Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Health and Life Emergencies Resulting from Illness Cases and Injuries-A Preliminary Study.

ABSTRACT

Background: Despite organised efforts, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the health status of the population and health services including the emergency medical system. The objective of the study was to investigate, based on the Emergency Medical Teams' (EMT) interventions, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and life emergencies resulting from illness cases and injuries of Polish females and males. Material and Methods: The data under analysis concern EMT interventions carried out in central and eastern Poland from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2022 (n = 226,038). The study used descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U Test, and the Chi-square test. Results: A significant increase was observed in the proportion of EMT interventions (p < 0.001) to patients with illness cases (80.30% vs. 83.17%) and a decrease in interventions to patients with injuries (19.70% vs. 16.83%) during the pandemic as compared to the pre-pandemic period. As for illness cases, the patients' ages during both periods were similar (Me = 66.00 vs. 66.00, p = 0.071). On the other hand, during the pandemic, injuries mainly affected elderly patients as compared to the pre-pandemic period (Me = 50.00 vs. 47.00, p < 0.001). The increase in the proportion of EMT interventions to patients with illness cases and the decrease in patients with injuries during the pandemic, as compared to the pre-pandemic period, concerned the area of intervention, patient's sex, and age. During the pandemic period, a significantly lower proportion of patients transported to the hospital (p < 0.001) and an increase in the proportion of patients left at the place of call (p < 0.001) were noted. Conclusions: The restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus contributed to a reduced number of injuries without, however, reducing the number of illness cases. During the pandemic, the elderly were affected by injuries. The study indicates the need for further in-depth analyses to prepare the pre-hospital care system in Poland for the occurrence of other or similar emergencies.