Epidemiology of Emergency Department Visits Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience From a Referral Center in Southeastern Brazil

Key Points

• Emergency department visits significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting overall healthcare access.
• In a referral center, visit numbers dropped by over 40% in peak pandemic months compared to previous years.
• Analysis of healthcare trends used data from the emergency department records before, during, and after the pandemic.
• Findings highlight potential long-term impacts on healthcare utilization as the system adapts to post-pandemic recovery.