How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort study

Objectives COVID-19 has changed the epidemiology of trauma. However, Taiwan is a country with a low COVID-19 threat, and people’s daily lives have remained mostly unchanged during this period. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the trend of trauma incidence and the service of trauma...

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Main Authors: Ling-wei Kuo, Chih-Yuan Fu, Chien-An Liao, Chien-Hung Liao, Chi-Hsun Hsieh, Chi-Tung Cheng, Yu-Tung Wu, Jen-Fu Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2021-03-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/3/e046405.full
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author Ling-wei Kuo
Chih-Yuan Fu
Chien-An Liao
Chien-Hung Liao
Chi-Hsun Hsieh
Chi-Tung Cheng
Yu-Tung Wu
Jen-Fu Huang
author_facet Ling-wei Kuo
Chih-Yuan Fu
Chien-An Liao
Chien-Hung Liao
Chi-Hsun Hsieh
Chi-Tung Cheng
Yu-Tung Wu
Jen-Fu Huang
author_sort Ling-wei Kuo
collection DOAJ
description Objectives COVID-19 has changed the epidemiology of trauma. However, Taiwan is a country with a low COVID-19 threat, and people’s daily lives have remained mostly unchanged during this period. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the trend of trauma incidence and the service of trauma care is affected by the relatively minor COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan.Design A single-institute, retrograde cohort study.Setting An observational study based on the trauma registry of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH).Participants Trauma patients presented to the emergency department of CGMH in the period of 1 January to 30 June 2020 (week 1 to week 26) were designated as the COVID-19 group, with 1980 patients in total. Patients of the same period in 2015–2019 were designated as the pre-COVID-19 group, with 10 334 patients overall.Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome is the incidence of trauma admission. Differences in trauma mechanism, severity, location and outcome were also compared in both groups.Results A decrease in trauma incidence during March and April 2020 was noticed. Significant change (p<0.001) in trauma mechanisms was discovered, with decreased burn (5.8% vs 3.6%) and assault (4.8% vs 1.2%), and increased transport accidents (43.2% vs 47.2%) and suicide (0.2% vs 1.0%) in the COVID-19 cohort. A shift in injury locations was also found with a 5% decrement of workplace injuries (19.8% vs 14.8%, p<0.001).Conclusion The limited COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan has led to a decreased incidence of trauma patients, and the reduction is mostly attributed to the decline in workplace injuries.
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spelling doaj-art-0ca8f1cfd1d54195a35c8bb59f9e258b2024-11-20T11:55:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552021-03-0111310.1136/bmjopen-2020-046405How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort studyLing-wei Kuo0Chih-Yuan Fu1Chien-An Liao2Chien-Hung Liao3Chi-Hsun Hsieh4Chi-Tung Cheng5Yu-Tung Wu6Jen-Fu Huang7Department of medicine, Chang Gung university, Taoyuan, TaiwanChang Gung University, Taoyuan, TaiwanTrauma and Critical Care Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Main Branch, Taoyuan, TaiwanTrauma and Critical Care Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Main Branch, Taoyuan, TaiwanTrauma and Critical Care Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Main Branch, Taoyuan, TaiwanDepartment of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou, Taoyuan, TaiwanTrauma and Critical Care Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Main Branch, Taoyuan, TaiwanTrauma and Critical Care Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Main Branch, Taoyuan, TaiwanObjectives COVID-19 has changed the epidemiology of trauma. However, Taiwan is a country with a low COVID-19 threat, and people’s daily lives have remained mostly unchanged during this period. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the trend of trauma incidence and the service of trauma care is affected by the relatively minor COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan.Design A single-institute, retrograde cohort study.Setting An observational study based on the trauma registry of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH).Participants Trauma patients presented to the emergency department of CGMH in the period of 1 January to 30 June 2020 (week 1 to week 26) were designated as the COVID-19 group, with 1980 patients in total. Patients of the same period in 2015–2019 were designated as the pre-COVID-19 group, with 10 334 patients overall.Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome is the incidence of trauma admission. Differences in trauma mechanism, severity, location and outcome were also compared in both groups.Results A decrease in trauma incidence during March and April 2020 was noticed. Significant change (p<0.001) in trauma mechanisms was discovered, with decreased burn (5.8% vs 3.6%) and assault (4.8% vs 1.2%), and increased transport accidents (43.2% vs 47.2%) and suicide (0.2% vs 1.0%) in the COVID-19 cohort. A shift in injury locations was also found with a 5% decrement of workplace injuries (19.8% vs 14.8%, p<0.001).Conclusion The limited COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan has led to a decreased incidence of trauma patients, and the reduction is mostly attributed to the decline in workplace injuries.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/3/e046405.full
spellingShingle Ling-wei Kuo
Chih-Yuan Fu
Chien-An Liao
Chien-Hung Liao
Chi-Hsun Hsieh
Chi-Tung Cheng
Yu-Tung Wu
Jen-Fu Huang
How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort study
BMJ Open
title How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort study
title_full How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort study
title_fullStr How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort study
title_full_unstemmed How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort study
title_short How much could a low COVID-19 pandemic change the injury trends? A single-institute, retrospective cohort study
title_sort how much could a low covid 19 pandemic change the injury trends a single institute retrospective cohort study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/3/e046405.full
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