Impact and modifications of in-hospital trauma care workflow due to COVID 19 pandemic: Lessons learnt for the future

Abstract

Objective: To describe the restructuring if in-hospital systems of care at a Level -1 trauma center in India and to analyze volume and patterns of injury for future preparedness as well as to institute preventive measures for specific injuries during health emergencies like COVID-19.Methods: The data were extracted from a prospectively managed trauma registry at level-1 trauma center in India. We compared data of lockdown period with data of the same number of days from the pre-lockdown period. Patients were grouped according to age, gender, cause of injury, place of injury, injury severity, and injury outcome for comparative analysis between two periods.Results: Total emergency department (ED) footfall due to trauma decreased significantly by 73% during lockdown period. Injuries resulting due to blunt forces, increased significantly. There was a significant decrease in the percentage of patients having major injury. The road traffic injuries (RTIs) cases were less, but number of falls reported increased significantly during lockdown. Significantly less number of patients presented without receiving primary care. Majority of the patients were transported using private cars, police vehicle, and two wheelers during lockdown, however, as expected significantly less number of patients were transported by three wheelers. The comparative analysis between quantitative data points shows significant difference in median ISS and length of stay during lockdown. Conclusion: This study highlighted that the preparedness during health emergencies should not focus solely on the response to treatment of infectious disease but also on ensuring access and provision of reasonable quality of care for non-infectious illnesses, especially acute conditions like trauma.

Keywords

• covid-19
• emergency department
• injury
• infectious disease
• trauma care