Impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on emergency transport times for patients with urological diseases

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic disrupted global healthcare systems. The present study aimed to determine the impact of lockdown restrictions on the time required to transport patients with urological diseases with fever to the hospital during the early stages of the COVID‑19 pandemic. The present retrospective, observational study analyzed information about the transport of 2,811 patients with urological emergencies to hospitals retrieved from a prefectural database, an emergency medical and disaster information system. Differences in emergency transport in terms of duration were analyzed using Student's t‑tests. Bivariate associations before and after the onset of COVID‑19 were assessed using simple linear and multiple regression analyses. The results indicated a significant association between the mean transport duration and fever in these patients before quarantine (β=5.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.93‑9.21). The duration of emergency transport for patients with urological diseases with fever in significantly increased. This was attributed to lifestyle changes brought about by the COVID‑19 pandemic.