Relationship between GPS-Based Community Mobility Data and Orthopedic Trauma Admissions During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria: A Multicenter Analysis

Background & Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mobility patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic and orthopedic trauma patients in Austria. By utilizing GPS-based mobility data, we assessed the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on reducing orthopedic trauma patients and the level of compliance with movement restrictions.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 283,501 patients treated at three major level I trauma centers in Austria, covering the period from January 1, 2019, to August 2, 2021. GPS-based mobility data from Google and Apple Inc. was collected and analyzed.Findings: Strong correlations were observed between the cumulative average outpatients and the mobility index for all cities (Google: r=0.7, p<0.001, 95% CI: 0.67-0.73; Apple: r=0.642, p<0.001, 95% CI: 0.61-0.67). A significant linear regression equation was found for Vienna (adjusted r2 = 0.482; F (1;350) = 328.048; p<0.01). During the first lockdown, both mobility (up to -75.36%) and the number of orthopedic trauma outpatients (up to -64%) experienced a drastic decline compared to the pre-pandemic era (153 patients/day in 2019 to 55 patients/day in 2020). However, this decline lessened over time.Interpretation: Analysis of GPS-based mobility patterns revealed a correlation with the number of trauma patients. These findings have implications for the development of prediction models, resource planning, and public health policies to enhance patient care and cost-effectiveness, particularly in future pandemic situations. Furthermore, our results indicate a decrease in compliance with mobility restrictions over time during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to increased mobility and trauma patients.Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Declaration of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.Ethical Approval: The study protocol was approved by the ethical committee of the Medical University of Vienna (VIE), Graz (GRZ) and Innsbruck (IBK), (EK number: 1517/2020) and did not contain any trials with human participants or animals. The study was performed in accordance with ethical standard laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki (1964).