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Observational Study
. 2021 Sep 2;22(5):1060-1066.
doi: 10.5811/westjem.2021.5.49968.

Impact of COVID-19 and Shelter in Place on Volume and Type of Traumatic Injuries

James Murrett  1 , Emily Fu  1 , Zoe Maher  2 , Crystal Bae  1 , Wayne A Satz  1 , Kraftin E Schreyer  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Impact of COVID-19 and Shelter in Place on Volume and Type of Traumatic Injuries

James Murrett et al. West J Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: Very little is known about the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated social distancing practices on trauma presentations to the emergency department (ED). This study aims to assess the impact of a city-wide stay at home order on the volume, type, and outcomes of traumatic injuries at urban EDs.

Methods: The study was a retrospective chart review of all patients who presented to the ED of an urban Level I Trauma Center and its urban community affiliate in the time period during the 30 days before the institution of city-wide shelter-in-place (preSIP) order and 60 days after the shelter-in-place (SIP) order and the date-matched time periods in the preceding year. Volume and mechanism of traumatic injuries were compared using paired T-tests.

Results: There was a significant decrease in overall ED volume. The volume of certain blunt trauma presentations (motor vehicle collisions) during the first 60 days of SIP compared to the same period from the year prior also significantly decreased. Importantly, the volume of penetrating injuries, including gunshot wounds and stab wounds, did not differ for the preSIP and SIP periods when compared to the prior year. The mortality of traumatic injuries was also unchanged during the SIP comparison period.

Conclusion: While there were significant decreases in visits to the ED and overall trauma volume, penetrating trauma, including gun violence, and other severe traumatic injuries remain a public health crisis that affects urban communities despite social distancing recommendations enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. No author has professional or financial relationships with any companies that are relevant to this study. There are no conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.

Figures

Figure
Figure
Patient records identified during data extraction and analysis process. ED, emergency department; SIP, shelter in place; PreSIP, pre-shelter in place.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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