LAUSR

Many factors have impacted the use of hospital services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work described the volume and pattern changes of emergency department (ED) and inpatient admissions during earlier pandemic period in New Zealand in 2020. ED and inpatient admissions during the pandemic period were compared with the figures and characteristics in the same time period in the previous years Over the period, ED and inpatient admissions decreased by 25 and 20 percent respectively. Remarkable declines of 41% in ED and 40% in inpatient were observed during the alert level 4 lockdown period. In the ED admissions, the degree of the decline was higher in less urgent presentations (triage levels 4 and 5), young patients (aged 0-24 years) and the patients without long term conditions. In the inpatient admissions, the degree of the decline was higher in the patients with lower level of inpatient clinical complexity, young patients and the admissions of respiratory diseases (especially influenza), viral infections, and injuries due to traffic and sport accident. In contrast, some hospitalisations increased during the period, including alcohol-related ED presentations, bacterial infections and injuries related to falls and assault occurred in home. The changes in hospitalisation utilisation are likely associated with the changes in people’s behaviour in seeking health services, in behaviours of health risk or protective factors, and the changes in healthcare provided to the population during the period. The results provide insights for further assessment of health needs and health services.