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Impact of Hurricane Sandy on Hospital Emergency and Dialysis Services: A Retrospective Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2014

Chou-jui Lin ,
Lauren C. Pierce ,
Patricia M. Roblin  and
Bonnie Arquilla
Chou-jui Lin*
Affiliation:
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
Lauren C. Pierce
Affiliation:
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
Patricia M. Roblin
Affiliation:
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
Bonnie Arquilla
Affiliation:
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
*
Correspondence:Chou-jui Lin, MBChB, MPH Department of Emergency Preparedness State University of New York Downstate Medical Center 440 Lenox Road, 2M Brooklyn, NY 11203 USA E-mail linch162@gmail.com; Chou-jui.Lin@downstate.edu
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Abstract

Objective

Hurricane Sandy forced closures of many free-standing dialysis centers in New York City in 2012. Hemodialysis (HD) patients therefore sought dialysis treatments from nearby hospitals. The surge capacity of hospital dialysis services was the rate-limiting step for streamlining the emergency department flow of HD patients. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of the HD patients surge and to explore difficulties encountered by hospitals in Brooklyn, New York (USA) due to Hurricane Sandy.

Methods

A retrospective survey on hospital dialysis services was conducted by interviewing dialysis unit managers, focusing on the influx of HD patients from closed dialysis centers to hospitals, coping strategies these hospitals used, and difficulties encountered.

Results

In total, 347 HD patients presented to 15 Brooklyn hospitals for dialysis. The number of transient HD patients peaked two days after landfall and gradually decreased over a week. Hospital dialysis services reported issues with lack of dialysis documentation from transient dialysis patients (92.3%), staff shortage (50%), staff transportation (71.4%), and communication with other agencies (53.3%). Linear regression showed that factors significantly associated with enhanced surge capacity were the size of inpatient dialysis unit (P = .040), having affiliated outpatient dialysis centers (P = .032), using extra dialysis machines (P = .014), and having extra workforce (P = .007). Early emergency plan activation (P = .289) and shortening treatment time (P = .118) did not impact the surge capacity significantly in this study.

Conclusion

These findings provide potential improvement options for receiving hospitals dialysis units to prepare for future events.

LinC, PierceLC, RoblinPM, ArquillaB. Impact of Hurricane Sandy on Hospital Emergency and Dialysis Services: A Retrospective Survey. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(4):1-6.

Keywords

cyclonic stormsdisaster planningrenal dialysis
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , August 2014 , pp. 374 - 379
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

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