Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association
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ObjectiveThis study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency departments (EDs) in South Australia, measured by changes in the number and casemix of patients in the system over time. MethodsData from the South Australia Emergency Department Dashboard, updated every 30min, were analysed for the period 4 October-21 December 2020. The Dashboard reports live counts of the number and type of patients in each of the six adult metropolitan public EDs in Adelaide, South Australia. ⋯ In the context of an overall decline in presentation numbers, the number of mental health-related presentations has not changed significantly, suggesting that this trend should be closely monitored. The findings corroborate the national concern that unwell people have avoided accessing emergency medical care during the pandemic, leading to worse outcomes and increased need for healthcare resources at a later date. It will be important to monitor and quickly detect further changes in ED usage using real-time data as the pandemic evolves, as well as in any future significant health crises.