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

Savioli, G.; Pesenti, S.; Ceresa, I.; Oddone, E.; Bressan, M. A.

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.