Emergency Department
During February-March 2020, 3,897 women were referred to the ED,
compared to 4,067 women in the previous year (Table 1, Figure 1). The
mean duration of treatment until decision and referral indications did
not differ between 2020 and 2019 (207 vs. 220 minutes, p=0.26; urgent
referrals: 58.8% vs. 59.2%, p=0.83). The per-week comparison showed a
significant reduction in ED referrals only in the last week of the
period [337 (2020) vs. 515 (2019), p<0.001] (Figure 1).
The proportion of women admitted to the delivery unit in active labor
was significantly higher in the last three weeks (39.1% vs. 28.2%,
p=0.005), and the rate of discharge was inversely correlated (45.8% vs.
56.7%, p=0.01).