Impact of COVID-19 on Severe Trauma Patients in Korea: A Nationwide Regional Subgroup Analysis

Objectives This study aimed to examine the regional impact of COVID-19 on severe trauma patients in South Korea. Methods This study utilized Community-based Severe Trauma Survey data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The average treatment effect (ATE) of COVID-19 on severe trauma patients by region was determined using doubly robust estimation (DR). Subgroup analysis was conducted for the greater Seoul area, metropolitan cities in rural areas, and rural areas. Results Significant differences were observed in the general characteristics of participants before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly in the mechanisms of injury and types of hospitals to which they were transported. DR revealed that the probability of death among severe trauma patients was higher in metropolitan cities in rural areas than in other regions. Conclusions The greater impact of COVID-19 on severe trauma patients in metropolitan cities in rural areas is attributed to their higher population density and the inability of emergency medical systems to manage the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, future national policies related to emergency medical care should focus on enhancing the capacity for managing infectious diseases in large-scale metropolitan cities.