Table 1.
Variations in the emergency department (ED) admittances from March/April 2020 compared to December 2019–February 2020
| December 2019 | January 2020 | February 2020 | March 2020 | April 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ED access, no. (%) | |||||
| Cardiology | 88 (4) | 100 (4) | 97 (4.2) | 28 (2.6) | 22 (2.6) |
| Dermatology | 114 (5) | 148 (6) | 150 (6.4) | 36 (3.3) | 5 (0.6) |
| Gastroenterology/hepatology | 298 (13) | 300 (12) | 314 (13.5) | 124 (11.2) | 81 (9.4) |
| Gynaecology/obstetrics | 306 (13.5) | 293 (11.8) | 261 (11) | 128 (11.6) | 151 (17.5) |
| Musculoskeletal | 325 (14.4) | 256 (10.3) | 114 (5) | 24 (2.2) | 23 (2.7) |
| Neurology | 283 (12) | 215 (8.7) | 227 (9.8) | 98 (8.9) | 71 (8.2) |
| Other | 308 (13.5) | 461 (18.5) | 553 (24) | 184 (16.7) | 197 (22.9) |
| Respiratory | 196 (8.6) | 297 (12) | 321 (14) | 397 (36) | 249 (29) |
| Traumatology | 264 (12) | 325 (13) | 190 (8.1) | 33 (3) | 22 (2.5) |
| Urology | 97 (4) | 91 (3.7) | 91 (4) | 50 (4.5) | 40 (4.6) |
| Total | 2279 | 2486 | 2318 | 1102 | 861 |
| Symptoms at triage, no. (%)* | |||||
| Fever | 48 (2.1) | 86 (3.4) | 105 (4.5) | 115 (10.4) | 92 (10.6) |
| Cough | 60 (2.6) | 89 (3.6) | 78 (3.3) | 107 (9.7) | 18 (2) |
| Dyspnoea | 98 (4.3) | 52 (2) | 138 (6) | 118 (10.7) | 110 (12.8) |
| Chest pain | 66 (2.9) | 67 (2.7) | 67 (2.9) | 18 (1,6) | 12 (1,4) |
| Severity code at triage, no. (%) | |||||
| Red | 31 (1.4) | 38 (1.5) | 36 (1.6) | 43 (3.9) | 23 (2.7) |
| Yellow | 359 (15.7) | 412 (17) | 365 (15.7) | 250 (22.7) | 129 (15) |
| Green | 1245 (54.6) | 1431 (57.5) | 1174 (50.7) | 666 (60.4) | 542 (63) |
| White | 644 (28.3) | 605 (24) | 743 (32) | 143 (13) | 167 (19.3) |
| Men, no. (%) | 948 (41.6) | 1019 (41) | 987 (42.6) | 513 (46.5) | 328 (38) |
| Median age, years | 52 | 53 | 51 | 58 | 57 |
| Death in ED, no. (%) | 7 (0.3) | 12 (0.5) | 16 (0.7) | 48 (4.3%) | 28 (3.2) |
| Hospitalization rate, no. (%) | 294 (13) | 302 (12.1) | 305 (13.1) | 290 (26.3) | 241 (28) |
*As the predominant presentation symptom