Impact of Hurricane Harvey on Healthcare Utilization and Emergency Department Operations.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Hurricanes have increased in severity over the past 35 years, and climate change has led to an increased frequency of catastrophic flooding. The impact of floods on emergency department (ED) operations and patient health has not been well studied. We sought to detail challenges and lessons learned from the severe weather event caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, in August 2017.

Methods

This report combines narrative data from interviews with retrospective data on patient volumes, mode of arrival, and ED lengths of stay (LOS). We compared the five-week peri-storm period for the 2017 hurricane to similar periods in 2015 and 2016.

Results

For five days, flooding limited access to the hospital, with a consequent negative impact on provider staffing

SUBMITTER: Chambers KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7234707 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature