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. 2020 Dec 9;40(11-12):336-341.
doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.40.11/12.02. Epub 2020 Sep 11.

Injuries in the time of COVID-19

[Article in English, French]
Glenn Keays  1   2 , Debbie Friedman  1   2   3   4 , Isabelle Gagnon  5   6
Affiliations

Injuries in the time of COVID-19

[Article in English, French]
Glenn Keays et al. Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. .

Abstract
in English, French

Introduction: Research has shown that during the 2003 SARS pandemic, emergency department (ED) visits among the pediatric population decreased. We set out to investigate if this was also true for injury-related ED visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Using data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), we looked at 28 years of injury-related ED visits at the Montreal Children's Hospital, a provincially designated Pediatric Trauma Centre. We compared data from a two-month period during the COVID-19 lockdown (16 March to 15 May) to the same period in previous years (1993-2019) to determine whether the 2020 decrease in ED visit numbers was unprecedented (i.e. a similar decrease had never occurred) for different age groups, nature of injuries, mechanisms and severity.

Results: The 2020 decrease was unprecedented across all age groups between 1993 and 2019. When compared with the 2015 to 2019 average, the decrease was smallest in children aged 2 to 5 years (a 35% decrease), and greatest in the group aged 12 to 17 years (83%). Motor vehicle collisions and sports-related injuries practically vanished during the COVID-19 lockdown. Surprisingly, more children aged 6 to 17 years presented with less urgent injuries during the COVID-19 lockdown than in previous years.

Conclusion: As was the case with SARS in 2003, COVID-19 acted as a deterrent for pediatric ED visits. The lockdown in particular had a profound impact on injury-related visits. The de-confinement period will be monitored to determine the impact in both the short and the long term.

Introduction: Des recherches ont mis en évidence une diminution du nombre de visites à l’urgence par des enfants pendant la pandémie de SRAS en 2003. Nous avons fait enquête afin de déterminer s’il en avait été de même pour les visites à l’urgence en raison de blessures pendant la pandémie de COVID-19.

Méthodes: Nous avons examiné les données du Système canadien hospitalier d’information et de recherche en prévention des traumatismes (SCHIRPT) afin d’obtenir de l’information sur les visites liées à des blessures au service des urgences de l’Hôpital de Montréal pour enfants, un centre de traumatologie pédiatrique désigné par la province, au cours des 28 dernières années. Nous avons comparé les données correspondant à une période de deux mois pendant le confinement en raison de la COVID-19 (du 16 mars au 15 mai) avec celles de la même période pour les années précédentes (de 1993 à 2019), afin de déterminer si la diminution du nombre de visites à l’urgence en 2020 était sans précédent (c.-à-d. qu’aucune diminution semblable ne s’était jamais produite). Différents facteurs ont été inclus dans cette comparaison, soit les groupes d’âge, la nature des blessures, les mécanismes de blessure et la gravité.

Résultats: La diminution observée en 2020 était sans précédent pour tous les groupes d’âge examinés selon les données compilées entre 1993 et 2019. Comparativement à la moyenne obtenue pour la période entre 2015 et 2019, la diminution la plus faible s’est produite chez les enfants de 2 à 5 ans (baisse de 35 %) alors que la plus forte a eu lieu chez les enfants âgés de 12 à 17 ans (83 %). Les blessures liées aux collisions de véhicules automobiles et aux sports ont pratiquement disparu pendant le confinement lié à la COVID-19. Fait étonnant, pendant le confinement, plus d’enfants entre 6 et 17 ans se sont présentés à l’urgence avec des blessures moins urgentes que les années précédentes.

Conclusion: Comme dans le cas du SRAS en 2003, la COVID-19 a eu un effet dissuasif sur les visites aux urgences pédiatriques. Le confinement, en particulier, a eu une incidence profonde sur les visites associées aux blessures. La période de déconfinement fera l’objet d’une surveillance afin de déterminer les répercussions, tant à court qu’à long terme.

Keywords: COVID-19; adolescents; children; emergency; epidemiology; injuries; primary care; wounds.

Plain language summary

During the COVID-19 lockdown in Montréal (16 March to 15 May, 2020) ED visits by children aged 0 to 17 years decreased by 72% compared to the average of the previous 5 years. In the same period, children’s (aged 0–17 years) injury-related ED visits decreased by 62% compared to the average of the previous 5 years. The decrease in numbers was unprecedented over the past 28 years for fractures and mild traumatic brain injuries in children aged 6 to 17 years; for burns in children aged 0 to 5 years; and for motor vehicle collisions (all ages) and sports-related injuries (all ages).

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Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflict of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Number of injury-related visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department, per age group, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 2
Figure 2. Number of visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department for mild traumatic brain injuries and fractures in children aged 0 to 5 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 3
Figure 3. Number of visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department for burns and poisonings in children aged 0 to 5 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 4
Figure 4. Number of visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department for mild traumatic brain injuries and fractures in children aged 6 to 17 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 5
Figure 5. Number of visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department for burns and poisonings in children aged 6 to 17 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 6
Figure 6. Number of visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department for injuries related to recreational activities, in children aged 0 to 17 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 7
Figure 7. Number of visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department for motor vehicle– related injuries in children aged 0 to 17 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 8
Figure 8. Number of visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department for sports-relateda injuries in children aged 0 to 17 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 1993 to 2020
Figure 9
Figure 9. Proportion of urgent triagea injury-related visits to Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency department in children aged 6 to 17 years, from 16 March to 15 May, 2010 to 2020
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