A mixed methods investigation of behavioural drivers influencing Emergency Department attendance in Victoria during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

To identify behavioural drivers and barriers that may have contributed to changes in ED attendance during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria. We conducted a mixed methods analysis of patients who attended one of eight participating EDs between 1 November 2019 and 31 December 20...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Emergency medicine Australasia 2022-03
Main Authors: Buntine, Paul, Aldridge, Emogene, Craig, Simon, Crellin, Dianne, Stella, Julian, Wright, Breanna, Mitchell, Rob D, Arendts, Glenn, Rawson, Helen, Rojek, Amanda M
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:To identify behavioural drivers and barriers that may have contributed to changes in ED attendance during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria. We conducted a mixed methods analysis of patients who attended one of eight participating EDs between 1 November 2019 and 31 December 2020. A random sample of patients were chosen after their visit and invited to participate in an online survey assessing behavioural drivers and barriers to attendance. The study timespan was divided into 4 periods based on local and world events to assess changes in attitudes and behaviours over this period. 5600 patients were invited to complete the survey and 606 (11%) submitted sufficient information for analysis. There were significant differences in participants' attitudes towards healthcare and emergency departments, levels of concern about contracting and spreading COVID-19 and the influence of mask wearing. Patients expressed more concern about the safety of an ED during the largest outbreak of COVID-19 infections than they did pre-COVID, but this difference was not sustained once community infection numbers dropped. General concerns about hospital attendance were higher after COVID than they were pre-COVID. 27% of patients specifically stated that they had delayed their ED attendance. Patients expressed increased concerns around attending ED during the first 10 months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and frequently cited COVID-19 as a reason for delaying their presentation. These factors would be amenable to mitigation via focussed public health messaging.
ISSN:1742-6723