Ma Alfred C, Ninan David
Medicine, Mansfield International College, Fullerton, USA.
Anesthesiology, Riverside University Health System Medical Center, Moreno Valley, USA.
Cureus. 2020 Aug 22;12(8):e9945. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9945.
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, anxiety regarding hospitals resulted in patients risking their lives and not seeking emergency medical care when needed. Early into the pandemic, hospital emergency room utilization plummeted more than 40% in some hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As COVID-19 outbreaks intensified in the Western regions of the country, emergency room census began to increase significantly in the middle of June. Local safety net health care resources were struggling with the increase in emergency room utilization and scrambled to increase patient care capacity, especially their emergency rooms and intensive care units. The data collected during this time is of great value. Unfortunately, it is often poorly reported, overlooked, and ignored when it should be used to make better decisions and allocations. During the pandemic, underserved populations were especially impacted, overwhelming safety net health organizations. The findings from a simple data analysis provide a template for resource acuity among communities and depict the importance of health equity.
在2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，对医院的焦虑导致患者在需要时冒着生命危险而不寻求紧急医疗护理。根据疾病控制与预防中心的数据，在大流行初期，一些医院的急诊室利用率暴跌超过40%。随着该国西部地区COVID-19疫情加剧，6月中旬急诊室就诊人数开始大幅增加。当地的安全网医疗保健资源难以应对急诊室利用率的上升，并争先恐后地提高患者护理能力，尤其是急诊室和重症监护病房。这段时间收集的数据非常有价值。不幸的是，这些数据往往报告不佳，被忽视且被忽略，而这些数据本应用于做出更好的决策和分配。在大流行期间，服务不足的人群受到了特别影响，使安全网医疗组织不堪重负。简单的数据分析结果为社区之间的资源敏锐度提供了一个模板，并描绘了健康公平的重要性。
