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Characterizing Hospital Admissions to a Tertiary Care Hospital After Typhoon Haiyan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2016

Mary P. Chang ,
Daren J. Simkin ,
Maria Lourdes de Lara  and
Thomas D. Kirsch
Mary P. Chang*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Daren J. Simkin
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Maria Lourdes de Lara
Affiliation:
Ormoc District Hospital, Leyte, Philippines
Thomas D. Kirsch
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Center for Refugee and Disaster Response, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Mary Chang, MD, MPH, 1830 East Monument Street, Suite 6-100, Baltimore, MD 21287 (e-mail address: mapech@yahoo.com).
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Abstract

Objective

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) made landfall in the Philippines. The literature characterizing the medical, surgical, and obstetrics burden following typhoons is lacking. This study aimed to improve disaster preparedness by analyzing medical diagnoses presenting to a city district hospital before, during, and after Typhoon Haiyan.

Methods

The assessment of disease burden and trends was based on logbooks from a local hospital and a nongovernmental organization field hospital for the medicine, surgical, and obstetrics wards before, during, and after the typhoon.

Results

The hospital provided no services several days after typhoon impact, but there was an overall increase in patient admissions once the hospital reopened. An increase in gastroenteritis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and motor vehicle collision-related injuries was seen during the impact phase. A dengue fever outbreak occurred during the post-impact phase. There was a noticeable shift in a greater percentage of emergent surgical cases performed versus elective cases during the impact and post-impact phases.

Conclusion

Overall, several public health measures can prevent the increase in illnesses seen after a disaster. To prepare for the nonfatal burden of disease after a typhoon, health care facilities should increase their resources to accommodate the surge in patient volume. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:240–247)

Keywords

Haiyantyphoondisaster preparednessPhilippines
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , April 2016 , pp. 240 - 247
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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