An analysis of data collected as part of EMBED, an NIH Collaboratory Trial, found significant decreases in emergency department visits in 5 large healthcare systems in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

The study was published online today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

In 24 emergency departments in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina, the number of visits declined by 42% to 64%, doing so most rapidly as the public health emergency intensified in March. The study also found that hospital admissions from emergency departments began to increase as COVID-19 case rates increased at the local level.

Data from 4 of the 5 healthcare systems in the study were collected as part of EMBED, a pragmatic trial of prescribing practices for opioid use disorder in emergency departments. An amended study protocol enabled the researchers to collect the data as part of an effort to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trial enrollment.

Although the study could not identify the reasons for the trends, the researchers recommended that public health officials “emphasize the importance of continuing to visit the [emergency department] for serious symptoms, illnesses, and injuries that cannot be managed in other settings” and “provide guidance and resources to help patients determine the best place to receive care as the available health care capacity changes during the pandemic.”

EMBED is supported within the NIH Collaboratory by a cooperative agreement from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and receives logistical and technical support from the NIH Collaboratory Coordinating Center. Read more about EMBED in the Living Textbook, and learn more about the NIH Collaboratory Trials.

For more news and resources related to the COVID-19 public health emergency, see our COVID-19 Resources page.