Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic restricted people's daily activities, including seeking medical care whenever it is must. This study aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on elderly patients and chronic diseases patients' refusal to visit the emergency department.(ED)
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Makkah region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a predesigned questionnaire distributed through social media. A total of 92 participants took part in this survey and were included in the statistical analysis. Information obtained from the participants included demographic data, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient's refusal to visit the ED, and the exacerbation of their medical conditions because of that refusal.
Results: Unlike the expected, there was approximately a 10% increase in the number of emergency visits than the pre-pandemic period. However, among those who did not attend the ED despite having an emergency condition, the leading cause (70%) was the fear of catching COVID-19 infection. Diabetes patients displayed a significantly higher percentage of those who were worried about visiting the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic (p £ 0.05). Fortunately, a higher percentage did not state any further health consequences as a result of that refusal.
Conclusion: ED visits were found to be increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the fear of being infected by COVID-19 was the main stated reason by respondents who refused emergency visits.

Key words: COVID-19, refusal, elderly, chronic, emergency, Makkah