Distribution of Forensic Cases in Admitted to the Emergency Department of a University Hospital in the Year of the Pandemic Onset and One Year Before

Aim: In light of the societal shifts brought about by the pandemic, alterations were noted in both the distribution and characteristics of forensic cases presenting at the emergency department. This study aimed to assess the changes in the features of forensic cases admitted to the emergency department before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, spanning from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2021. The timeframe from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, was designated as the "COVID-19 pre-pandemic period" (n = 1101), while the period from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, was termed the "COVID-19 pandemic period" (n = 685). Patient records from the emergency department were retrospectively examined. Results: Among the 1786 forensic cases analyzed, 71.6% were male, with a mean age of 32.68 ± 15.67 years. Predominant case types included assault/battery (28.7%), road traffic accidents (25.1%), and occupational accidents (20.9%). While 61.6% of cases occurred during the pre-pandemic period, 38.4% were recorded during the pandemic. A significant increase was observed in the frequency of forensic cases among emergency department admissions during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period (1.5% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.001). Moreover, during the pandemic period, there was a notable rise in the age of forensic cases, frequency of hospitalized cases, duration of hospitalization, and occurrences of occupational and motorcycle accidents, whereas incidents of assault/battery and traffic accidents decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of cases across different months during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Despite an overall decrease in the number of forensic cases during the pandemic, a heightened intensity of such cases was observed among hospital admissions. Notably, individuals admitted during the pandemic were older, experienced more frequent and prolonged hospitalizations, and were involved in fewer assault/battery and traffic accident cases but more occupational and motorcycle accidents.