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Authors:
Hyo Jin Kim
Eunsil Ko
Yun-Suk Pak
So-hyun Han
Keywords: Emergency Care; Resource Allocation; Severe Non-COVID Patients; COVID-19 Pandemic; Health System Impact.
Abstract:
Korea was internationally recognized for its successful infection control strategies and healthcare policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. While these efforts helped limit virus transmission, their indirect impact on emergency care for non-COVID critically ill patients remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess how emergency care delivery for severe non-COVID patients changed across different phases of the pandemic using nationwide data. Among COVID-19 patients, the time from symptom onset to emergency department (ED) visit steadily decreased from 46.1 hours in the early phase to 25.1 hours in later waves. In contrast, this interval increased for non-COVID critically ill patients, from 18.4 hours pre-pandemic to 20.2 hours during the fourth wave. ED mortality for COVID-19 patients remained low at approximately 0.1%, whereas it increased for non-COVID severe patients from 5.4% pre-pandemic to 6.6–7.6% across the waves. Intensive care unit (ICU) admission for COVID-19 patients peaked at 5.8% during the fourth wave, while it declined to 25.8% among non-COVID severe patients in the same period. Despite Korea’s effective pandemic response, emergency care for non-COVID critical patients was negatively affected. The prioritization of resources toward COVID-19 care may have contributed to delays and worse outcomes for other high-acuity patients. Future preparedness strategies must ensure balanced resource allocation to maintain essential emergency services for all patients.
Pages: 13 to 17
Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2025
Publication date: September 28, 2025
Published in: conference
ISSN: 2308-4553
ISBN: 978-1-68558-294-4
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Dates: from September 28, 2025 to October 2, 2025