<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id>0001-6002</journal-id>
<journal-title><![CDATA[Acta Médica Costarricense]]></journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title><![CDATA[Acta méd. costarric]]></abbrev-journal-title>
<issn>0001-6002</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name><![CDATA[Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos de Costa Rica]]></publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id>S0001-60022021000300169</article-id>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.51481/amc.v63i3.1138</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="es"><![CDATA[Tendencias en las consultas a los servicios de emergencias durante la pandemia por covid-19]]></article-title>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[Trends in emergency department admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic]]></article-title>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[Trends in admissions to Emergency Services during the COVID-19 pandemic]]></article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Yock-Corrales]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Adriana]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="Aff"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Soto-Roldan]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[José]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="Aff"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Corella-Elizondo]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Donald]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="Aff"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="Af1">
<institution><![CDATA[,Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social Hospital Nacional de Niños &#8220;Dr. Carlos Sáenz Herrera&#8221; Servicio de Emergencias.]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[San José ]]></addr-line>
<country>Costa Rica</country>
</aff>
<aff id="Af2">
<institution><![CDATA[,Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social CCSS Hospital San Vicente de Paul Servicio de Emergencias.]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[Heredia ]]></addr-line>
<country>Costa Rica</country>
</aff>
<aff id="Af3">
<institution><![CDATA[,Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social Servicio de Emergencias ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[San José ]]></addr-line>
<country>Costa Rica</country>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="pub">
<day>00</day>
<month>09</month>
<year>2021</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>00</day>
<month>09</month>
<year>2021</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>63</volume>
<numero>3</numero>
<fpage>169</fpage>
<lpage>177</lpage>
<copyright-statement/>
<copyright-year/>
<self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;pid=S0001-60022021000300169&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&amp;pid=S0001-60022021000300169&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&amp;pid=S0001-60022021000300169&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="es"><p><![CDATA[Resumen  Objetivo:  En Costa Rica se observó una disminución en las atenciones en los Servicios de Emergencias al inicio de la pandemia por lo que el objetivo de este estudio es la descripción de este fenómeno, su duración, así como implicaciones en nuestro país.  Métodos:  Es un estudio descriptivo observacional retrospectivo de las atenciones en los Servicios de Emergencias de los Hospitales pertenecientes a la Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social durante el 1 de enero al 31 de diciembre del 2020.  Resultados:  Se incluyeron 25 Servicios de Emergencias. Las atenciones durante el periodo de estudio fueron de 1.549.024 millones de visitas y la cantidad de revaloraciones a 4,038,029. El rango de atenciones en los diferentes SEM tuvo un rango de 19070 mil a 122251 mil durante el periodo del estudio. Se observó que 850 707 (54,9%) eran del sexo femenino. La mayor cantidad de pacientes atendidos en los SEM tenían edades entre los 20 a 44 años con 693 379 (44.7%) atenciones, seguido del grupo entre los 45 a 64 años con 328 979 (21.2%). Lo que respecta a la clasificación de la agudeza de los pacientes por medio del sistema de triaje canadiense, un 40% (620 449) fueron catalogados como categoría 3, un 39.8%(616 855) categoría 4, 14%(218 124), 5.3%(82 360) categoría 2 y por último 0.6%(9206) pacientes como categoría 1. Respeto a pacientes con el diagnóstico asociado a SARS CoV-2 se observó que 88 793 en los Servicios de Emergencias tuvieron dichos diagnósticos durante el periodo del estudio.  Conclusiones:  La tendencia a la baja en las consultas al Servicio de Emergencias en Costa Rica, reproduce las tendencias reportadas en la bibliografía a nivel mundial. La explicación para este fenómeno es multifactorial. Existen una gran cantidad de cambios &#8220;estructurales&#8221; tanto en los servicios de emergencias como en hospitalización y el sistema de salud en general, que con mucha probabilidad deberán cambiarse de manera definitiva y prioritaria. No solo para la atención de esta pandemia sino con miras a que dichos sistemas se encuentren mejor preparados para próximos eventos infecciosos de cualquier tipo.]]></p></abstract>
<abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="en"><p><![CDATA[Abstract  Aim:  In Costa Rica, a decrease in the admissions in the emergency departments were observed at the beginning of the pandemic and the objective of this study was to describe this phenomenon, its duration, as well as its implications in our country.  Methods:  It is a retrospective descriptive observational study of the admissions in the Emergency Departments of the Hospitals belonging to the Costa Rican Social Security from January 1 to December 31, 2020.  Results: 25 emergency departments were included. Admissions during the study period was 1,549,024 million visits and the number of re-evaluations to 4,038,029. The range of visits in the different emergency departments were from 19,070,000 to 122,251,000 during the study period. It was observed that 850 707 (54.9%) were female. The lar- gest number of patients treated in the emergency departments were aged between 20 to 44 years with 693,379 (44.7%) visits, followed by the group between 45 to 64 years with 328,979 (21.2%). The acuity of the patients using the Canadian triage system were classified 40% (620,449) as category 3, 39.8% (616,855) as category 4, 14% (218,124), 5.3% (82,360) as category 2 and finally 0.6% (9,206) patients as category 1. In regards of patients with the diagnosis associated with SARS CoV-2, it was observed that 88,793 were seen in the emergency departments with such diagnoses during the study period.  Conclusions:  The downward trend in consultations to the emergency departments in Costa Rica reproduces the trends reported in the literature worldwide. The explanation for this phenomenon is multifactorial. There are many &#8220;structural&#8221; changes both in the emergency departments and in hospitalization and the Health System in general, which will most likely have to be changed definitively and as a priority. Not only for the attention of this Pandemic but with a view to future infectious events of any kind.]]></p></abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Servicios médicos de urgencia]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[pandemia]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[SARS CoV-2]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Emergency medical services]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[pandemic]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[SARS CoV-2]]></kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
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