'Shelter-at-home' restrictions did not change 90-day mortality for unplanned acute and emergency hospital contacts in Denmark: A nationwide observational case-cohort study.

Aim: To determine the 90-day all-cause mortality risk of unplanned acute and emergency hospital contacts compared to the general population before and after the introduction of the shelter-at-home restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. Subject and methods: The study was a s...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833) Vol. 34; no. 7; pp. 1597 - 1604
Main Authors: Mølmer, Michaela, Svendsen, Emilie Löbner, Bentsen, Lasse Paludan, Nissen, Søren Kabell, Fløjstrup, Marianne, Möller, Sören, Kellett, John, Brabrand, Mikkel, Bogh, Søren Bie
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Jul2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=194750765&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 194750765
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        21981833
        NENI
      jtl: Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833)
      issn: 21981833
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jul2026
      vid: 34
      iid: 7
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        194750765
        10.1007/s10389-024-02365-1
      ppf: 1597
      ppct: 7
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: 'Shelter-at-home' restrictions did not change 90-day mortality for unplanned acute and emergency hospital contacts in Denmark: A nationwide observational case-cohort study.
      aug:
        au:
          Mølmer, Michaela
          Svendsen, Emilie Löbner
          Bentsen, Lasse Paludan
          Nissen, Søren Kabell
          Fløjstrup, Marianne
          Möller, Sören
          Kellett, John
          Brabrand, Mikkel
          Bogh, Søren Bie
        affil:
          https://ror.org/00ey0ed83 Department of Emergency Medicine, Odense University Hospital, 5000, Odense, Denmark
          https://ror.org/03yrrjy16 Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
          Department of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of Southwest Jutland, Esbjerg, Denmark
          https://ror.org/03yrrjy16 Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
          https://ror.org/00ey0ed83 Open Patient Exploratory Network (OPEN), University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
      su:
        Denmark
        Patient safety
        Sex distribution
        Medical care
        Age distribution
        Retrospective studies
        COVID-19 pandemic
        Mortality risk factors
        Risk assessment
        Scientific observation
        Hospital emergency services
        Visiting the sick
        Descriptive statistics
        Stay-at-home orders
        Longitudinal method
        Medical records
        Acquisition of data
        Confidence intervals
        Survival analysis (Biometry)
        Data analysis software
        Proportional hazards models
      sug:
        subj:
          Patient safety
          Sex distribution
          Medical care
          Age distribution
          Retrospective studies
          COVID-19 pandemic
          Denmark
          Mortality risk factors
          Risk assessment
          Scientific observation
          Hospital emergency services
          Visiting the sick
          Descriptive statistics
          Stay-at-home orders
          Longitudinal method
          Medical records
          Acquisition of data
          Confidence intervals
          Survival analysis (Biometry)
          Data analysis software
          Proportional hazards models
      keyword:
        Acute medicine
        COVID-19
        Emergency medicine
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        Mortality
        Public health policy
        Acute medicine
        COVID-19
        Emergency medicine
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        Mortality
        Public health policy
      ab: Aim: To determine the 90-day all-cause mortality risk of unplanned acute and emergency hospital contacts compared to the general population before and after the introduction of the shelter-at-home restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. Subject and methods: The study was a stratified population-based, case–cohort study performed on all Danish citizens with any unplanned hospital contacts. Cases were collected from March 1 to September 31 in 2019 and 2020, and 1,057,007 cases from a period without restrictions and 1,066,666 cases with restrictions. The primary outcome was 90-day all-cause mortality. Demographic and administrative data were extracted from the Danish National Patient Registry and Civil Registration System and cross-linked for individual citizens. The hazard ratio (HR) for cases was estimated for multiple age groups and adjusted for sex. Results: The overall 90-day all-cause mortality risk related to an unplanned hospital contact was HR 9.3 (95% CI 9.1 to 9.4). No significant differences were detected in any age group between periods. Women in the age-group of 55–59 without restrictions had the highest HR [24.30 (95% CI 20.50 to 29.01)], as well in the age-group of 50–54 with restrictions with HR 23.30 (95% CI 18.53 to 29.48). Men in the age-group 50–54 in both periods had the highest HR [17.20 (95% CI 14.46 to 20.52)], and with restrictions HR 17.60 (95% CI 14.68 to 21.22). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic, ensuing national safety measures, and changes in healthcare utilization did not affect the risk of 90-day mortality for unplanned hospital contacts compared to the general population.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N