Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on Ophthalmic Emergency Department in an Italian tertiary eye centre

CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic drove a significant reduction of the overall OED activity. People with less urgent and milder conditions preferred to wait and endure their ocular discomfort for a few days rather than leaving home and risking to contract the infection. Our analysis highlights how several times the OED is used improperly by patients diagnosed with non-urgent disorders. A more accurate use of the OED would allow a reduction of management costs and the avoidance of overcrowding, which can lead to delays in the care of patients that really need assistance.PMID:33631983 | DOI:10.1177/1120672121998223
Source: European Journal of Ophthalmology - Category: Opthalmology Authors: Source Type: research