This project is an unfunded collaboration of approximately 30 emergency departments across Europe led by the EUSEM research network. It involves collection of data in relation to determining the epidemiology and outcome of adult patients who present to emergency departments with a suspected Covid infection.
Over the past 6 months, the world has faced a novel infection disease outbreak, due to a
novel coronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV2), with a
massive impact on healthcare resource.
In Europe, numbers of confirmed cases continue to rise. Europe is currently one of the
regions with the highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths due to this emergent diseases.
Most COVID-19 infected patients present with mild to moderate acute respiratory symptoms,
including cough, fever, dyspnea and pneumonia. About 20% will present with severe or critical
manifestations of the disease, including pneumonia, respiratory failure and acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS).
Anticipating the needs for hospitalization in ward and/or intensive care is crucial.
Emergency departments are at the front line for triaging patients with suspected Covid-19 and
referring them to the appropriate level of care.
In Europe, the number of ED patients with suspected Covid-19 is variable; rate of
hospitalization from ED reaches 40% for this population.
Risk stratification and management decisions of patients presenting to the ED with suspected
COVID-19 is a challenge for emergency physicians.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adult patients (>= 18 years old) attending the ED with a clinical suspicion of
COVID-19 based on the presence of the following criteria
- Fever >= 38 °C
- respiratory symptoms (dyspnea, cough, expectorations)
- any other symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 including digestive signs (diarrhea,
anosmia…)
Exclusion Criteria:
- None
EUSEM RN Country lead
Zagreb, Croatia
EUSEM RN Country lead
Hämeenlinna, Finland
EUSEM RN Country lead
Tours, France
EUSEM RN Country lead
Athens, Greece
EUSEM RN Country lead
Forlì, Italy
Said LARIBI, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
EUSEM Research network chair