Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T21:53:26.315Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Emergency Department and Inpatient Health Care Services Utilization by the Elderly Population: Hurricane Sandy in The State of New Jersey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2018

Linda McQuade ,
Barry Merriman ,
Mark Lyford ,
Bella Nadler ,
Sangeeta Desai ,
Roger Miller  and
Samuel Mallette
Linda McQuade*
Affiliation:
Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia
Barry Merriman
Affiliation:
Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia
Mark Lyford
Affiliation:
Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia
Bella Nadler
Affiliation:
Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia
Sangeeta Desai
Affiliation:
Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia
Roger Miller
Affiliation:
Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia
Samuel Mallette
Affiliation:
Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, Tysons, Virginia
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Linda McQuade, Health Division, Logistic Management Institute, 7940 Jones Branch Drive, Tysons, VA 22102 (e-mail: Lindaguo10@gmail.com).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

In this investigation, we reported the increase in emergency department and inpatient admission cases during the month of November 2012 post Hurricane Sandy as compared with baseline (November 2010, 2011, and 2013) for elderly patients aged 65 and up.

Methods

Medical claims data for patients aged 65 and over treated at emergency department and inpatient health care facilities in New Jersey were analyzed to examine the surge in frequencies of diagnoses treated immediately following Hurricane Sandy. The differences were quantified using gap analysis for 2 years before and 1 year after the event.

Results

There was an average increase of 1700 cases for the month of November 2012 relative to baseline for the top 15 most frequently diagnosed emergency department medical conditions. On a daily basis, a volume increase by an average 57 cases could be expected, including significant numbers of limb fractures and other trauma cases for these most frequently encountered medical conditions.

Conclusions

Understanding the surge level in medical services needed in emergency departments and inpatient facilities during a natural disaster aftermath is critical for effective emergency preparation and response for the elderly population. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:730-738)

Keywords

elderly care during disasterdisaster surge responsedisaster preparationhealth services utilization
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 12 , Issue 6 , December 2018 , pp. 730 - 738
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Disaster planning goal – protect vulnerable older adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. http://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/disaster_planning_goal.pdf. Published 2009. Accessed May 15, 2016.Google Scholar
2. Banks, L. Caring for elderly adults during disasters improving health outcomes and recovery. South Med J. 2013;106(1):94-98. https://doi.org/10.1097/SMJ.0b013e31827c5157.Google Scholar
3. Ringel, JS, Chandra, A, Williams, MV, et al. Enhancing public health emergency preparedness for special needs populations: a toolkit for state and local planning and response. RAND website. http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR681.html?utm_source=Youth.gov&utm_medium=Announcements&utm_campaign=Reports-and-Resources. Published September 8, 2009. Accessed May 15, 2016.Google Scholar
4. Aldrich, N, Benson, WF. Disaster preparedness and the chronic disease needs of vulnerable older adults. Prev Chron Dis. 2008;5(1). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd//issues/2008/jan/07_0135.htm. Published January 7, 2008. Accessed May 15, 2016.Google Scholar
5. Projections of the population by sex and age for the United States: 2015 to 2060. Population projections page. Census.gov website. http://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2014/summarytables.html. Published 2014. Accessed October 11, 2016.Google Scholar
6. Blake, ES, Kimberlain, TB, Berg, RJ, et al. Tropical cyclone report. Hurricane Sandy. National Hurricane Center website. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL182012_Sandy.pdf. Published February 12, 2013. Accessed September 2016.Google Scholar
7. Manuel, J. The long road to recovery environmental health impacts of Hurricane Sandy. Environ Health Perspect. 2013;121(5):a152-159. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.121-a152.Google Scholar
8. Hurricane Sandy event recap report. Impact forecasting. Aon Benefield Thought Leadership page. Aon Benfield website. http://thoughtleadership.aonbenfield.com/Documents/20130514_if_hurricane_sandy_event_recap.pdf. Published May 14, 2013. Accessed May 15, 2016.Google Scholar
9. Henry, DK, Cooke-Hull, S, Savukinas, J, Yu, F, Elo, N, Van Arnum, B. Economic impact of Hurricane Sandy: potential economic activity lost and gained in New Jersey and New York. Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce website. http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/sandyfinal101713.pdf. Published September 2013. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar
10. Goldmann, E, Galea, S. Mental health consequences of disasters. Annu Rev Public Health. 2014;35:169-183. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-18243.Google Scholar
11. Haynes, M. Report: seniors vulnerable in times of disaster. The Nation’s Health website. http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/44/7/E35.full. Published September 2014. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar
12. Davis, JR, Wilson, S, Brock-Martin, A, et al. The impact of disasters on populations with health and health care disparities. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2010;4(1):30-38. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1935789300002391.Google Scholar
13. Sharp, MJ, Sun, M, Ledneva, T, et al. Effect of Hurricane Sandy on health care services utilization under Medicaid. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016;10(3):472-484. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2016.75.Google Scholar
14. Cholera continues to spread after Hurricane Sandy. Center for Economic and Policy Research website. http://cepr.net/blogs/haiti-relief-and-reconstruction-watch/cholera-continues-to-spread-after-hurricane-sandy. Published November 20, 2012. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar
15. HCUP Databases. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website. www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/databases.jsp. Published 2016. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar
16. ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. The Web’s Free 2015 Medical Coding Reference page. ICD9Data website. http://www.icd9data.com/. Published November 2010. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar
17. Outliers and Tukey fences. Summarizing Data – Descriptive Statistic page. Boston University School of Public Health website. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/bs/bs704_summarizingdata/bs704_summarizingdata7.html. Published May 17, 2016. Accessed September 7, 2016.Google Scholar
18. Redlener, I, Reilly, MJ. Lessons from Sandy—preparing health systems for future disasters. N Engl J. 2012;367:2269-2271. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1213486.Google Scholar
19. Swerdel, JN, Rhoads, GG, Cosgrove, NM, Kostis, JB. Rates of hospitalization for dehydration following Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016;10(2):188-192. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2015.169.Google Scholar
20. Tomio, J, Sato, H. Emergency and disaster preparedness for chronically ill patients: a review of recommendations. Open Access Emerg Med. 2014;6:69-79. https://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OAEM.S48532.Google Scholar