This study was designed to examine the changes in emergency room visits in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included 11,277 patients who presented to a tertiary care hospital (ER) and an emergency practice (EP) during on-call hours in the first half of 2018, 2019, and 2020. The epidemiologic parameters, diagnoses, and level of urgency were recorded using a four-step scale. A comparison was made between the pre-pandemic years and 2020. The findings revealed a significant decrease in the frequency of ER visits in the second quarter of 2020 compared to 2019 (ER: 30.8%, EP: 37.8%), mainly due to the fact that there were significantly fewer patients, with low levels of urgency. Certain diagnoses, such as epistaxis (-3.0%) and globus sensation (-3.2%), were made at similar frequencies to 2019, while inflammatory diseases like skin infections (-51.2%), tonsillitis (-55.6%), sinusitis (-59%), and otitis media (-70.4%) showed a significant reduction. The study concludes that patients with a low triage level were less likely to visit the ER during the early stages of the pandemic, but some diagnoses were still observed at comparable rates. This suggests a disparity in perception between patients and ER staff regarding urgency. Many of the issues discussed were also emphasized in the 2024 proposal by the German Ministry of Health to reform emergency care in Germany.

Keywords: COVID-19; emergency room; otolaryngology–head & neck surgery; overcrowding.

本研究旨在考察在COVID-19大流行期间耳鼻喉科和头颈外科急诊就诊的变化情况。该研究包括了2018年、2019年和2020年前半年内，患者在三级护理医院（ER）和紧急诊所（EP）值班时段的统计数据，共涉及11,277名患者。使用四步等级记录流行病学参数、诊断和就诊急迫性级别。将大流行前两年的数据与2020年进行比较。研究结果表明，2020年第二季度ER访问频率相比2019年显著下降（ER：30.8%，EP：37.8%），主要是由于低级别的紧急患者数量明显减少。一些诊断如鼻出血(-3.0%)和异物感(-3.2%)的发病率与2019年的水平相似，而炎症性疾病如皮肤感染(-51.2%)、扁桃体炎(-55.6%)、鼻窦炎(-59%)以及中耳炎(-70.4%)则显著减少。研究得出结论，在大流行早期阶段，低级别的急诊患者更少前往ER就诊，但某些诊断病例仍然以相近的频率出现。这表明患者和急诊医护人员在紧急程度的认知上存在差异。许多讨论的问题也在德国卫生部2024年关于改革德国急诊医疗体系的提案中得到了强调。

关键词：COVID-19；急诊室；耳鼻喉科–头颈外科；拥挤