Trend in Otolaryngology Emergency Department Visits during the COVID-19 Pandemic at Atertiary University Hospital

Objective: To determine the impact of COVID -19 on otolaryngology emergency department (E.D.) visits during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic. Study Design: A retrospective study comparing demographical and clinical characteristics of patients between March and April 2020 to a similar period last year was carried out. Setting: Otolaryngology emergency department of a tertiary University hospital in Israel. Methods: All patients who presented to the E.D.during the study period were potential participants and the level of urgency or emergency of each case was evaluated. Results: Among all the patients who presented to the E.D. as a whole, the proportion of otolaryngology E.D. visits in 2020 (2.6%) was significantly lower than that in 2019 (3.2%, p=0.003) giving a 43.2% reduction rate during the pandemic.While the proportion of traumatic (urgent) presentations minimally decreased in 2020 (26.0% to 35.4%, p= 0.009), there was a greater decrease in non-traumatic non-urgent presentations (26.9% to 15.9%, p=0.001). Almost all the patients had medical insurance coverage in both years (99.1% and 99.2%). Conclusion: A good proportion of otolaryngology E.D. visits are unnecessary, as proven by the COVID-19 pandemic during which patients were afraid to utilize the E.D. from fear of contagion. Problems which resulted in E.D. visits in the past, did not during the crises. With adequate sensitization on the proper use of community otolaryngology health services, additional human and financial strain on E.D. services can be alleviated with resources channeled to building and running well-equipped intensive care units.