Impact of Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak on the use of emergency medical resources in febrile patients
| Autor: | Sungyoup Hong, Ji Yong Im, Byul Nim Hee Cho, Sikyoung Jeong, Ji-Hoon Kim, Seon Hee Woo, Jeong Hee Wee, Hyunho Jeong, Juseok Oh, Kyoungnam Park, Seung Pill Choi, Byung Hak So |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Emergency medical services
medicine.medical_specialty Fever Under-five business.industry Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus Respiratory infection Outbreak 030208 emergency & critical care medicine Disease Emergency department Emergency Nursing medicine.disease_cause medicine.disease 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Emergency medicine Emergency Medicine Medicine Middle East respiratory syndrome Original Article 030212 general & internal medicine business |
| Zdroj: | Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine |
| ISSN: | 2383-4625 |
| Popis: | Objective Outbreaks of transmissible respiratory infection are suspected to have significant effects on the health of pediatric and geriatric patients. The objective was to assess the impact of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak on the use of emergency resources. Methods An ecologic analysis of emergency department (ED) records between September and December 2015, was performed. Data was obtained from the National Emergency Department Information System database for Korea. All demographic and diagnostic data from patients presenting with febrile symptoms as a main complaint were collected. The data were compared to the equivalent period in the three years preceding the MERS outbreak in Korea. Results Following the MERS outbreak, there was an increase in overall ED visits by febrile patients and the proportion of visits by febrile patients, relative to total ED attendances. This effect was more prominent in the children under five years. The duration of the chief complaint before ED arrival and the length of ED stay were significantly increased among younger pediatric patients. Decreased body temperature on arrival was observed in younger pediatric patients. Conclusion MERS outbreak appears to have had a significant effects on ED use by febrile patients. The use of emergency care services by pediatric patients makes them more vulnerable to an outbreak of a transmissable disease. An effective strategy to control emergency center visits by non-urgent febrile patients and provide proper medical services is urgently needed. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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