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A Retrospective Analysis of the Incidence of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections Compared to Non-COVID-19 Conditions Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic at A Large Safety Net Hospital System

   
@article{JHMHP10497,
	author = {Prudencio Merino and Deborah Kupferwasser and Evelyn A. Flores and Donna Phan Tran and Abisay Ortega and Loren G. Miller},
	title = {A Retrospective Analysis of the Incidence of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections Compared to Non-COVID-19 Conditions Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic at A Large Safety Net Hospital System},
	journal = {Journal of Hospital Management and Health Policy},
	volume = {0},
	number = {0},
	year = {2026},
	keywords = {},
	abstract = {Background: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are among the most common infections encountered in U.S. healthcare settings. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially altered healthcare utilization patterns, with declines reported for several non-COVID conditions. We evaluated whether pandemic-associated changes in medically attended SSTI rates differed from those observed for other comparator urgent conditions (injury/trauma, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke) in a large U.S. safety-net health system.Methods: We conducted a retrospective health system–wide study using electronic health record data from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services between 3/16/17and 3/15/22. The pre-pandemic period was defined as 3/16/17–3/15/20 and the intra-pandemic period as 4/1/20–3/15/22. SSTIs and comparator conditions were identified using ICD-10 codes. Changes in incidence rates and differences-in-differences between SSTIs and comparator conditions were analyzed using a three-way interaction Poisson regression model incorporating disease type, time period, and continuous time; additional models adjusted for seasonality.Results: We identified 55,895 SSTI patients, 16,011 with MI, 255,897 with injury/trauma, and 10,597 with stroke. Mean ages were 46.8, 62.7, 39.0, and 58.4 years, respectively, and most patients were male (56–65%) and Hispanic/Latino (53–63%). Overall rates declined between the pre-pandemic and intra-pandemic periods for SSTIs (29%), injury/trauma (49%), and stroke (17%), while MI rates increased by 25%. In regression analyses, SSTI incidence significantly decreased during the intra-pandemic period (rate ratio 0.9943/1000 patient-months; 95% CI 0.9899–0.9987; P=0.01). Injury/trauma decreased more substantially (rate ratio 0.9798; 95% CI 0.9778–0.9819; P},
	issn = {2523-2533},	url = {https://jhmhp.amegroups.org/article/view/10497}
}