Identifying the perception of difficulty in emergency department utilization recognized by Daegu citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic and its contributing factors

Kim, Dae Hyeong; Ryoo, Hyun Wook; Jung, Haewon; Jang, Tae Chang; Lee, Kyeong Soo; Kim, Jong-yeon

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 33(6); 2022 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2022;33(6): 616-630.

대구시민들이 COVID-19 대유행 기간 인지한 응급실의 이용 장애 정도와 관련 요인 분석

김대형¹

¹경북대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
²대구가톨릭대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
³영남대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실
⁴경북대학교병원 공공보건의료사업실

Identifying the perception of difficulty in emergency department utilization recognized by Daegu citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic and its contributing factors

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
³Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
⁴Public Health and Medicine Office, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea

Correspondence

Hyun Wook Ryoo ,Tel: 053-420-6400, Fax: 053-428-2820, Email: ryoo@knu.ac.kr,

Received: February 23, 2022; Revised: May 10, 2022 Accepted: May 23, 2022. Published online: December 31, 2022.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
The purpose of this study was to identify if there was a perception of difficulty in using emergency department (ED) services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the contributing factors to this situation through a cross-sectional public survey in a metropolitan city.
Method:
In November 2020, face-to-face interviews based on a structured questionnaire were conducted with 1,000 citizens. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors affecting the perception of difficulty in using the ED.
Results:
Of the respondents, 65.2% (58.9% male and 71.3% female) perceived difficulty in using ED services during the pandemic. By age, 69.8% of those who had this perception were under the age of 40 years ; 63.2% were 40-64 years old, and 61.1% were over the age of 65. Of the total number of respondents, 24.8% and 13.8% said they would hesitate to visit ED for chest pain and neurological symptoms, respectively. As a result of multivariate analysis, the significant contributing factors were age under 40 years old, female gender, fear of in-hospital COVID-19 contagion, emergency medical technician (EMT) referral to the ED, and prior experience with the emergency medical service (EMS) dispatch center.
Conclusion:
A significant percentage of respondents perceived that it was difficult to use ED services during the COVID19 pandemic, even when experiencing chest pain and neurological symptoms, which require urgent treatment. Younger age, women, and fear of nosocomial COVID-19 contagion appear to have aggravated this situation. Conversely, prior experience with the EMS dispatch center and visits to the EMT-recommended ED facilitated ED utilization.

Key words: COVID-19; Emergency department; Utilization