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Effect of COVID-19 on management of patients with low back pain in the emergency department
- Source :
- Australasian Emergency Care
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2022.
-
Abstract
- Background Patients presenting to Emergency Department (ED) with non-specific low back pain can receive more unnecessary, intensive and costly care than is recommended. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine how health systems prioritise necessary care that provides clear benefits to patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on care of low back pain in the ED. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of electronic medical record data on care for low back pain from three public hospitals in Sydney. We included patients diagnosed with spinal conditions who presented between March and May in 2019 and in 2020. Outcomes were the total number of patients presenting with spinal conditions to ED, the proportion diagnosed with non-specific low back pain, and the proportion receiving potentially unnecessary aspects of care (ambulance use, imaging, opioids, hospital admissions). We calculated relative risk with 95% CIs and examined plots with locally weighted smoothed curves. Results Presentations for spinal conditions over a three-month period to three EDs reduced from 694 in 2019 to 475 in 2020 (31% reduction, 95% CI = 26%–37%). The proportion of patients diagnosed with non-specific low back pain (83% in 2019 vs 86% in 2020), or receiving potentially unnecessary care were similar in 2019 and 2020 (Imaging = 25% vs 25%; Opioids = 54% vs 56%; Admitted = 18% vs 20%; pathology test = 24% vs 23%). The proportion of patients arriving by ambulance was higher during the pandemic; 29% in 2019 vs 41% in 2020 (RR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.19–1.63). Conclusions ED presentations for low back pain associated with spinal conditions decreased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Use of potentially unnecessary aspects of care did not change or increased during the pandemic.
- Subjects :
- 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak
medicine.medical_specialty
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Opioid
Emergency Nursing
Ambulance
Retrospective analysis
Humans
Medicine
Low back pain
Pandemics
Retrospective Studies
Emergency department
business.industry
Electronic medical record
COVID-19
Analgesics, Opioid
Coronavirus
Relative risk
Emergency medicine
Diagnostic imaging
medicine.symptom
Emergency Service, Hospital
business
Research Paper
Healthcare system
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 2588994X
- Volume :
- 25
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Australasian Emergency Care
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b1ee152cf9b1554ad2753e31cfe2f862