Number of people in emergency departments halves over Covid-19 fears

Younger people were less likely to attend EDs, according to the research, while there was a decline in the number of attendances classed as urgent.

Patients may have been deterred from attending by a fear of contracting Covid-19, or concerns they would be adding to the pressures on the hospital system, the report suggests.

The research is based on HSE data for the period ending March 31, 2020.

Ireland’s first Covid-19 case was announced on February 29. By March 13, schools, colleges and childcare facilities closed, and by March 28, guidance was issued to remain at home in all but a few circumstances. These measures were designed to flatten the curve, a strategy which was, in part, designed to ease Covid-19 pressure on hospitals.

Between January 1 and February 29, there was an average of 3,200 to 3,700 ED attendances per day. In the last week of March, this figure was 1,912, with numbers declining by 45.5% over the course of March as restrictions increased.

The report’s authors claim there could be many factors contributing to the decline in attendances.

“In particular, the timing of the reductions suggests that the public may be concerned about attending health facilities when there is a risk of contracting Covid-19, or fear that they are adding to the pressure on the health service.

“To help ensure that members of the public receive healthcare when they need it, more may need to be done to reassure them that it is safe and proper to contact their GP or attend hospital EDs,” they said.

Aoife Brick, research officer at the ESRI, added: “This data suggest that there are people who did not attend the ED following the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak in Ireland when under normal circumstances they would have. The public must be encouraged not to ignore symptoms and attend EDs when they need to.”

In addition, the report speculates that people may have opted not to attend their GP, who would typically refer them to the ED.

There is also likely to have been a decline due to the lack of travel, sport, and social contact, reducing the likelihood of sports injuries or traffic accidents, for example. Such trends have already been reported in the UK.

In recent weeks, the Irish Patients Association raised concerns about patients not attending hospitals. It reported a dramatic fall in the numbers attending hospitals from March 17 onwards which, they said, suggested a fear of contracting Covid-19.

However, the association warned this could result in other health concerns remaining unchecked.