Abstract
The spread of COVID19 put a lot of extra work on emergency doctors, due to increased visits as a result of respiratory failure and other consequences caused by the infection. our research aims to ascertain the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on emergency department visits based on triage levels King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following a retrospective observational design to determine the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on emergency department visits in King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2022. The study included all patients presented for emergency department visits at King Saud Medical City in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period of the study. Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS software, version 26. From a total of 92874 patients, 76.2% presented during the post-pandemic. The triage level showed a significant increase from pandemic to post-pandemic. This was mostly observed in level 4 (which changed from 8.5% pandemic to 91.5% post -pandemic) and level 5 (which changed from 17.4% to 82.6%), which was statistically significant with a p value less than 0.001. Referral and OPD showed an increase of 17.5% and 3.0%, respectively. But a decrease in the discharges, deaths, and discharges against medical advice was observed. The presentation rate to cardiology, internal medicine, and orthopedics was significantly reduced.